Robert Del Naja of
Massive Attack has been arrested at a mass demonstration in Trafalgar Square opposing the ban on Palestine Action. The musician, known also as 3D, was taken into custody on suspicion of showing support for a proscribed organisation after holding a sign reading "I Oppose Genocide, I Support Palestine Action".
Footage from the scene shows police officers approaching Del Naja before carrying him away from the gathering, while fellow demonstrators responded with cheers and applause. Hundreds of others were also arrested at the protest.
Speaking to the Press Association ahead of his arrest, Del Naja acknowledged the potential impact on his touring schedule, with European shows planned for this summer. "Being a musician, obviously, there was a lot of trepidation around how we might not be able to travel and get visas," he explained. "But I thought, 'This is ridiculous', and then the police making that U-turn to arrest people again, I thought that is even more ridiculous. So I'm going to hold a sign today. If I get arrested, I feel very confident that if I stand up in court with the right guidance and say, 'This was an unlawful arrest and, therefore, I don't accept it'."
Del Naja also defended the activities of Palestine Action directly, stating: "I think that the actions of Palestine Action were highly patriotic because they were pretty much protecting our country from getting involved in serious war crimes and breaking international law. How much more patriotic can you be than that?"
Massive Attack have been vocal in their opposition to the Palestine Action ban since the high court deemed it unlawful earlier this year. At that time, the group accused Keir Starmer's government of having "wanted to punish those who made their complicity in a genocide visible" and of having "confected an authoritarian law to retaliate against peaceful citizens holding signs". In reference to the Filton 24 – individuals who in 2024 allegedly broke into an Elbit Systems weapons factory near Bristol – they stated that "the highest price has been paid by those on the receiving end of this government's vindictive guilt".
The arrest follows a period of sustained political activism from both Massive Attack and their allies. Del Naja previously joined Kneecap's Móglaí Bap and Garbage in drawing attention to the treatment of Palestine Action prisoners, sharing posts from campaigners alleging detainees were being held without bail and that hospitalised hunger strikers numbered three. The two groups also jointly urged their audiences to contact Justice Secretary David Lammy regarding the welfare of those prisoners.
Massive Attack's broader solidarity efforts have included joining Primal Scream in condemning the government's handling of a separate Palestine Action demonstration in London last summer, backing the No Music For Genocide campaign alongside Fontaines DC, Amyl & The Sniffers and over 400 other artists, and announcing a complete boycott of Spotify over reports that CEO Daniel Ek had invested heavily in military technology companies. The group have boycotted performing in Israel since 1999 and issued a statement of support for Kneecap when the Irish trio faced a counter-terrorism investigation, a case ultimately dropped due to a technicality after the Chief Magistrate ruled the charge "unlawful" and "null".
