Massive Attack hit out at “ugly, unrecognisable government” after pro-Palestine protestors arrested
Massive Attack have criticised the “ugly, unrecognisable government” in the United Kingdom after over 500 protestors supporting Palestine Action were arrested at a demonstration in London over the weekend.
The protest, which took place on August 9th, was organised by the group Defend Our Juries and voiced prominent support for Palestine Action, who are now considered a terrorist organisation by the UK government.
As a result, over 500 people were arrested at the event, prompting widespread condemnation of the government’s actions.
A statement from Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja was subsequently posted on the band’s Instagram on August 11th, slamming Westminster’s approach to “peaceful citizens of conscience.”
Del Naja said that ordinary people are now being considered terrorists over their support for Palestine Action “at the will of a human rights lawyer turned authoritarian; who now lunges at opinions that expose the moral vacuum of his ugly, unrecognisable government,” referencing Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
He added: “It’s about trying to fill with distractions the vast and expanding gulf between the horror of the British public – of more than two years of the citizens of Gaza, burning alive in tents, being shot dead in food queues, or dropping dead where they stand from starvation – and the duplicitous, arrogant and cowardly complicity of their government.”
The singer concluded his statement by saying: “Those 521 people are willing to pay with their liberty for the vindictive shame of those they elected to power. I hope none of us repeat that mistake at future elections.”
Del Naja is one of a growing number of voices criticising the aftermath of the protest, as Primal Scream also joined calls slamming the government and praising those who had been arrested for the cause.
Massive Attack have been prominent supporters of Palestine throughout the conflict, recently joining the likes of Kneecap, Fontaines DC, and Brian Eno to form a syndicate of artists expressing solidarity with the people of Gaza.
Meanwhile, at Glastonbury in June, Nadine Shah read an open letter in support of Palestine Action on The Other Stage. She read: “The real threat to the life of the nation comes not of Palestine Action but from the Home Secretary’s efforts to ban it. We call on the government to withdraw its proscription of Palestine Action and to stop arming Israel.”
Shah continued: “If I read this out after July 4th, I could potentially be prosecuted for that. Thank you, Glastonbury.”
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