UK trip hop pioneers Massive Attack have launched a new alliance in support of musicians who are facing intimidation “from within our industry” for publicly speaking out against Israel’s military violence in Gaza, the Consequence of Sounds music site reported over the weekend.
Outspoken pro-Palestinian acts Brian Eno, Kneecap, and Fontaines D.C. are among the artists who have joined the effort, sharing a post on Instagram explaining that they aim to support fellow musicians who have been threatened with “attempted censorship.”
“The scenes in Gaza have moved beyond description. We write as artists who’ve chosen to use our public platforms to speak out against the genocide occurring there & the role of the UK government in facilitating it,” the artists posted on Instagram.
The musicians expressed concern for emerging artists who they believe are at risk of being “threatened into silence or career cancellation” by groups such as UK Lawyers for Israel.
Musicians speaking out against war in Gaza
The musicians accuse Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, but have not called for the release of the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas for nearly two years, nor condemned Hamas for the atrocities committed on October 7, 2023, which ignited the war in Gaza.
Fringe British punk act Bob Vylan was the most recent act to be reported by the UK Lawyers for Israel in response to the group leading a chant of “death to the IDF” during their set at this year’s Glastonbury Festival. They are also the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation for the performance.
“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 organized external legal bodies, terrifying them and their management teams with aggressive legal actions,” Massive Attack told The Guardian. “The intention is clear and obvious: to silence them.”
Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap, in particular, have been scrutinized for their pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel messaging at Coachella and Glastonbury. Following their Coachella performance, group member Mo Chara was charged with a terror offense after allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a 2024 London concert.
British police dropped their investigation into Kneecap on Friday.