Robert Del Naja (Massive Attack), arrested for protesting in Liverpool
Robert Del Najaof Mass Attackarrested again in Liverpool for carrying a banner supporting “Palestine Action” in front of the Labor Party convention. “I do not recognize the crime”
Del Naja, also known as 3Dwas arrested on September 26 in Liverpool, outside the venue where the Labor Party Conference was being held, after sitting with a sign that said: «I oppose genocide. Support for Palestine Action».
A video shared by the activist group Defend Our Juries shows the police approaching Del Naja and explaining that displaying the poster constitutes a crime, as Palestine Action is an illegal organization under the Anti-Terrorism Law. In the video, Del Naja replies that it is also a crime to assist or incite any person or private company to commit genocidal war crimes. After this he is arrested, for the second time, for supporting this organization.
The arrest came on the eve of the Prime Minister’s first Labor Party Conference Andy Burnham. Shortly before her arrest, Del Naja appeared alongside Palestine Action co-founder, Huda Ammoriand the human rights lawyer Michael Mansfield K.C. in a pre-recorded message calling on Burnham to remove the group from the government’s list of banned organizations. More recently, Del Naja and other members of Massive Attack joined Thom Yorke, Robert Smith, Brian Eno and more than 200 musicians to pressure Burnham to reject plans for the Rosebank oilfield.
Since the organization was banned in July 2025 for having “crossed the threshold of terrorism through acts involving serious material damage”, it has been the subject of numerous legal appeals. In February this year, the High Court ruled that the outlawing was disproportionate, however the Court of Appeal overturned that ruling in June and ruled, again, that the outlawing was legal. The Supreme Court subsequently granted limited permission for a further appeal, which is scheduled to be heard in November.
Massive Attack has been openly pro-Palestine for decades and has boycotted their concerts in Israel since 1999. Earlier this summer, the band reported that their entire tour crew had been detained in Singapore after Del Naja and Grant Marshall displayed a Palestinian flag on stage. Two of its members were subsequently banned from entering the country. They have also supported the campaign “No Music For Genocide” along with Fontaines DC, Amyl & The Sniffers and hundreds of other artists, and recently criticized the decision to exclude Macklemore from the US tour of Ed Sheeran after his statements in favor of Palestine.
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