.png)
SHAH ALAM – British trip-hop group Massive Attack has expressed surprise and disappointment after the entire band was detained, isolated and questioned by police following their performance at The Star Theatre on July 29 July.
In a three-slide statement published on their official Instagram account, the band revealed that several members were allegedly subjected to hotel room searches and temporary passport confiscation after holding up a Palestinian flag on stage.
Massive Attack stated that large sections of the audience had organically led chants of "Free Palestine" before and after the show, leading the band to make an impromptu expression of solidarity.
Describing the post-concert police action as a surreal experience, the group praised their Singaporean fans for their courage and called on the Singaporean government to ratify the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to allow expressions of conscience without fear of state prosecution.
The controversy arose after members of the vocal group unfurled the Palestinian flag during the show, while authorities alleged that one band member also shouted "Free Palestine" to the audience.
Massive Attack defended their actions by asserting that they did not imagine holding up the flag of a sovereign state recognised by 157 countries would violate any local legislation.
The group likened the incident to broader global struggles for freedom of expression and highlighted protests in the UK where peaceful demonstrators face arrest under terrorism laws.
In response to the demonstration, a joint investigation by the Singapore Police Force and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) concluded that the band had violated offences under the Foreign National Emblems (Control of Display) Act and the Public Order Act.
Authorities issued stern warnings to two band members and permanently banned them from re-entering Singapore, while IMDA confirmed that future performance applications by the group will be rejected.
Officials stressed that the concert organiser had agreed to licence conditions prohibiting the display of political flags, emphasising that external political causes must not be allowed to jeopardise the nation's racial and religious harmony.
