Police probe Palestinian flag display at concert
Singapore has launched an investigation after British trip-hop band Massive Attack displayed a Palestinian flag during a concert, police said Friday.
The city-state bans the public display of all foreign flags, national emblems or banners without a permit.
A video circulating online showed two band members on stage raising a Palestinian flag to loud, prolonged cheers from the audience.
The concert was held on Wednesday, according to local media.
Broadcaster CNA quoted one concertgoer as saying the band members shouted "free Palestine" during their performance and that many in the audience joined the chant.
The Singapore Police Force said in a statement to AFP that "reports were lodged and investigations are ongoing", adding that the government's media regulator was "also investigating a possible breach of licence conditions".
The unpermitted display of a foreign flag is punishable with a fine of up to 500 Singapore dollars ($389), a maximum prison term of six months, or both.
The concert promoter did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
The band is known for its criticism of Israel's military actions in Gaza and has used its popularity to support the Palestinian cause.
In April, frontman Robert Del Naja was among more than 200 people arrested at a protest in London's Trafalgar Square in support of Palestine Action, an activist group banned by British authorities.
Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles. As of 2025, the group consists of Del Naja and Marshall.
They released their debut album in 1991, Blue Lines, which has been included on numerous best-of lists and is generally considered the first album of the trip-hop genre. The single "Unfinished Sympathy" was a chart hit in Europe, including number one on the Dutch Top 40, and was later voted the 63rd-greatest song of all time in a poll by NME. In 1994, they released their second album, Protection. Thaws left the band later that year to pursue a solo career. In 1998, they released their third album, Mezzanine, giving them their first number one on the UK Albums Chart. Mezzanine contains the top-10 single "Teardrop". In 1999, Vowles left the band, with Del Naja and Marshall continuing as a duo. They further released the albums 100th Window (2003) and Heligoland (2010).
Both Blue Lines and Mezzanine feature in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The group have collaborated with several recurring guest vocalists, including Horace Andy, Shara Nelson, Tracey Thorn, Elizabeth Fraser, Sinéad O'Connor, Damon Albarn and Hope Sandoval.