Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja says arrest was “very small price to pay” at Palestine Action protest
Robert Del Naja from Massive Attack has released his first statement since being arrested at a Palestine Action demonstration, saying the situation is “total madness”.
The musician, known as 3D, was arrested by police in London’s Trafalgar Square on April 11th, as one of 500 protestors charged on suspicion of supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation.
Prior to his arrest, he told the Press Association that he was not afraid of the potential repercussions that being arrested could have on his career, as he said (via The Guardian): “Being a musician, obviously, there was a lot of trepidation around how we might not be able to travel and get visas. 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.”
Subsequently, Del Naja was seen holding a sign that said, “I Oppose Genocide, I Support Palestine Action”, while social media footage of his arrest saw him telling the crowd, “I’m being unlawfully arrested” as he was led away by police officers.
After being released from custody, Del Naja issued a statement on the matter via his Instagram on April 13th, where he began: “Throughout the Israeli genocide in Gaza most people, myself included, felt like they were gradually going mad. How could the world, including the British government, possibly allow this to happen?”
The musician went on to explain that he was arrested under the Terrorism Act for “sitting in silence, holding a cardboard sign stating that you oppose genocide and support non-violent action to prevent it.”
He was referencing the fact that the UK government’s proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation was ruled as unlawful by the High Court in February, as it deemed that the majority of the group’s actions did not meet the threshold for terrorism.
To this end, reflecting on the arrests of the weekend, Del Naja added: “Of course, everyone knows this is total madness (including many of the police officers making these arrests, and the High Court judges who recently ruled them unlawful) and yet, somehow it continues.”
The musician went on to say, “a few hours in police custody under unlawful arrest is a very small price to pay” in order to stand up to the actions of the government.
Massive Attack are set to head out on a five-date European tour in May and June to Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Belgium, but Del Naja made no mention of the impact his arrest could have on this as part of his most recent statement.
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