Robert Del Naja arrested at pro-Palestinian protest in Liverpool
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New video and information from civil-rights group Defend Our Juries show Massive Attack member Robert Del Naja being arrested in Liverpool on 26 September during a pro-Palestinian protest outside the Labour Party conference. Police told Del Naja, who was holding a sign supporting Palestine Action, that he was being arrested for supporting a terrorist organisation; the incident has renewed debate over the UK’s designation of Palestine Action and restrictions on protest.
More than 200 people reportedly attended the demonstration, with further arrests made. Del Naja had also been arrested at a similar protest in April, while he and Massive Attack have repeatedly supported Palestine and opposed the classification of Palestine Action as a terrorist group; campaigners also highlighted that he had previously appeared alongside Labour figure Andy Burnham on environmental issues.
- Robert Del Naja was arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest in Liverpool.
- Police cited alleged support for Palestine Action.
- More than 200 people attended, with further arrests reported.
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Robert Del Naja is a founding member of Massive Attack, the electronic music group formed in Bristol in the 1990s. He was arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on 26 September, when police said he was being held for supporting what they described as a terrorist organisation.
Palestine Action is an activist group that opposes Israeli policies toward Palestinians and has carried out actions against companies it links to the Israeli military. The UK government has classified the group as a terrorist organisation, a designation that Palestine Action disputes and which some civil rights organisations and musicians, including Del Naja, have publicly challenged.
The arrest has sparked debate about how protest is policed in Britain and whether terrorism laws are being used to restrict lawful demonstration. Del Naja's case has drawn attention from those who argue the laws are being applied too broadly to suppress political activism, whilst others defend the police enforcement of the terrorism designation.
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Originally published by Consequence as “Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja Arrested as Part of Pro-Palestine Protest”.