Massive Attack Banned From Singapore For Waving Palestine Flag

Acclaimed British trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack have reportedly been banned from entering Singapore after members Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall raised the Palestinian flag and led the audience in chants of 'Free Palestine' during the band's concert in the city-state last week.

Responding to the incident on Instagram, the band said: "We were surprised and disappointed that our entire band was detained by the police, isolated and separately questioned - with some members subjected to hotel room searches and temporary passport confiscation… This surreal experience is a reminder of the importance of defending universal human rights and freedom of expression wherever those rights are threatened, including at home in the UK where, extraordinarily, we still see peaceful protestors arrested under terrorism laws for holding up handwritten signs protesting genocide."

Massive Attack has long been among the music industry's most vocal advocates for Palestinian rights. Beyond its public statements, the band has joined forces with artists including Brian Eno, Fontaines D.C. and Kneecap to launch a collective calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and unrestricted humanitarian aid access to the territory.

The incident adds to a growing list of artists facing official scrutiny or restrictions over public expressions of solidarity with Palestine, underscoring the increasingly fraught intersection of music, political speech and state policy.