Massive Attack published a post on their official Instagram denouncing intimidation practices against them and other musicians speaking out for Gaza. They called like-minded artists who are not expressing their views because of fear of legal and professional repercussions to join their syndicate.
By Eirini PolydorouThursday 17 July 2025 - Massive Attack posted on their Instagram account a three-picture announcement accompanied with the phrase “The organised censorship of Palestine & Gaza must end” . Kneecap, Fontaines D.C. and Brian Eno are among the high profile artists who are supporters of the new syndicate.
“Because of our expressions of conscience, we ‘ve been subject to various intimidations from within our industry (live & recorded) & legally via organised bodies such as UK lawyers for Israel” read the text.
The Instagram post made a reference to a documentary projected the previous night by the Led by Donkeys Collective, allegedly claiming that “UK Lawyers for Israel Ltd has tried to silence various voices supporting Palestine. Their charitable wing has made public statements rejecting international law”.
Earlier, Bob Vylan and Kneecap were faced with police investigations and concert cancellations over their pro-Gaza expressions during their music concerts. The investigations were initiated after relevant reports by UKLFI.
In a statement to CNN, Caroline Turner, director of UKLFI, said: “Massive Attack has launched an attack on our organization, which helps to protect victims of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel racism.” She added “Unfortunately, antisemitism has become an everyday part of life in the UK, and those trying to protect its victims are now subject to vicious attacks by the perpetrators”.
According to a statement of Massive Attack to the Guardian: “This collective action is really about offering some kind of solidarity to those artists who are living day after day in a screen-time genocide, but are worried about using their platforms to express their horror at that because of the level of censorship within their industry or from highly organised external legal bodies, terrifying them and their management teams with aggressive legal actions. The intention is clear and obvious: to silence them.”
The musicians encourage other artists to directly contact them providing an email address. As said in their post they want to stand in "strength and solidarity to collectively demand: Immediate, unfettered access to Gaza for recognised international aid agencies without military threat. The end of the atrocious targeting of medical and aid workers. An end to UK arms sales/licences to Israel. An immediate & permanent ceasefire. A free Palestine.”
The new movement comes in continuation of Massive Attack and other artists' activities supporting Gaza. Among others, in May 2025, the band had co-signed a letter to the UK Prime Minister to “end UK complicity” in Gaza, along with Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch, Annie Lenox and more than 300 figures. Also in May 2025, almost 400 writers and authors from across the UK and Ireland had signed an open letter condemning the violence in Gaza and calling for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian intervention. On Saturday 19 July, a performer at the Royal Opera House in London unfolded a Palestinian flag during a curtain call at the final night of Il Trovatore. His identity remains unclear. Opera's officials condemned the act as unauthorized, spontaneous and completely inappropriate.
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Image by Chris Frewin, licensed as CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
