Massive Attack Detained After Raising Palestinian Flag in Singapore

British band Massive Attack said its members were detained by Singapore police, questioned separately and isolated after two performers raised a Palestinian flag during a concert in the city-state last Wednesday.

In a statement posted on Instagram on Sunday, the band said it was “surprised and disappointed” that the entire group had been detained and questioned. Several members had their hotel rooms searched and passports temporarily confiscated.

Massive Attack members Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall unfurled the flag as the audience chanted “Free Palestine!”

Singapore police said on Friday that the action “could potentially harm the racial and religious harmony in Singapore”. Two band members were issued stern warnings and barred from re-entering the country.

“We did not imagine that merely holding up the flag of a sovereign state recognised by 157 countries (Palestine) would violate any law”, the band said.

“The surreal experience was a reminder of the importance of defending universal human rights and freedom of expression wherever those rights are threatened”, it added.

Singapore prohibits the public display of foreign national emblems without a permit or exemption. The Palestinian flag is considered particularly sensitive because of the conflict in Gaza and Singapore’s sizeable Muslim population.

(Reuters, bak)