Massive Attack have issued a statement saying they were "surprised and disappointed" by their treatment by Singaporean authorities after members Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall waved a Palestinian flag during a concert on 29 July. The incident led to police detaining and questioning the band, and the pair being banned from entering the country, with the group barred from any future performances there. The episode highlights tensions between artists' political expression and Singapore's strict laws on public displays of foreign symbols.

According to the band, all members were "isolated and separately questioned" by police, with some subjected to hotel room searches and temporary confiscation of passports. Singapore's Foreign National Emblems (Control of Display) Act bans the public display of flags without a permit, carrying penalties of up to S$500 (about $390), six months' imprisonment, or both. Massive Attack said they had not expected that displaying the flag of Palestine, recognised by 157 countries, would breach any law, and called for Singapore to ratify the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, also drawing a comparison with UK protesters arrested under terrorism laws for similar acts.