According to The Guardian, over half of the 500 protesters arrested in Central London were above 60 years old as thousands gathered in a demonstration organised by campaign group Defend Our Juries. The arrests were made due to the widespread support of Palestine Action – an organisation that has recently been proscribed as a terrorist group in the UK.

Robert del Naja – who has been vocal in his support of Palestine and activism for decades – took to Instagram to share his thoughts on the arrests, claiming: “UK civil liberties are trapped in a deeply cynical, manufactured crisis.”

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In a post which he captioned with “This kept being taken down…”, del Naja attacked the UK government aswell as the actions of the police last weekend: “The ultimate truth though is that this is not really about silent, crouched citizens surrounded by packs of 10 burly British police men & women & thrown in caged vans, nor the politicians with the masks of corporate lobbying & genocide complicity torn from their faces.

“It’s about trying to fill with distractions the vast & expanding gulf between the horror of the British public – of more than 2 years of the citizens of Gaza, burning alive in tents, being shot dead in food queues, or dropping dead where they stand from starvation – and the duplicitous, arrogant & cowardly complicity of their government.”

Massive Attack recently joined forces with the likes of Brian Eno, Fontaines DC and Kneecap to create a new alliance aimed at supporting musicians speaking out about Gaza. The trip-hop pioneers spoke to The Guardian about why this alliance is needed, saying: “This is about solidarity with artists being crushed under legal threats – while witnessing genocide unfold in real-time on their screens.”

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Del Naja ended his recent Instagram post by calling out the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, for her role in proscribing Palestine Action, saying: “On Saturday, 521 distressed citizens peacefully & reluctantly wasted police time; because wasting police time is now the official policy of Yvette Cooper; a Home Secretary who views your civil liberties as a useful political device.

“Those 521 people are willing to pay with their liberty for the vindictive shame of those they elected to power. I hope none of us repeat that mistake at future elections.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently spoke out about the wave of young people and artists showing support for Palestine, where he claimed he welcomed the sympathetic attitude towards Palestine, but is against “incitement to violence”.

He told NME: “Kneecap shouldn’t be performing at Glastonbury, and I don’t support inciting to violence as free speech… There’s a huge difference between speaking out about what’s happening in parts of the world. All of us are concerned by what we’re seeing in Gaza.”

Speaking at the same event, Starmer confirmed his support of the proposed £1 ticket levy, which is aimed at supporting the UK grassroots music scene, where he said “venues need not just to survive, but to thrive.” Check out the mxdwn.co.uk coverage of the PM’s interview with NME here.

To achieve this, Massive Attack has implemented a range of innovative measures. The concert will be powered entirely by renewable energy sources, with solar panels and wind turbines providing the necessary electricity. The stage and lighting equipment will be energy-efficient, utilising the latest technology to minimise energy consumption.

Transportation to and from the event will also be environmentally friendly. Massive Attack has partnered with Train Hugger, a company that promotes sustainable travel, to offer discounted train tickets to concert-goers. Additionally, the band has collaborated with Ecotricity, a green energy supplier, to provide electric vehicle charging stations at the venue.

In terms of waste management, the Act 1.5 event will prioritise recycling and composting. Attendees will be encouraged to bring reusable water bottles and food containers, and there will be designated areas for waste separation. The concert organizers have also committed to offsetting the carbon emissions associated with the event through various initiatives, such as tree planting and investment in renewable energy projects.

Furthermore, the Act 1.5 event will serve as a platform for education and engagement. Massive Attack has invited climate scientists and experts from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research to give talks and presentations on the urgency of climate action. There will also be interactive exhibits and workshops where attendees can learn about sustainable practices and how to reduce their carbon footprint.

By organizing Act 1.5, Massive Attack aims to set a new standard for environmentally friendly live music events. They hope that their efforts will inspire other artists and event organizers to prioritize sustainability and take meaningful action to combat climate change. Through their music and activism, Massive Attack continues to use their platform to drive positive change and create a more sustainable future.

Massive attack have used their social media platform to support their work but more importantly the causes they stand by and stand up for. Most recently they posted a copy of a letter that was addressed to the President from the band, to which they highlighted, what they believed to be a responsibility of the international community to end this crisis. It read,
“The international community has a responsibility to use all its influence to prevent further escalation and end this crisis. I urge the members of the Security Council  to press to advert a humanitarian catastrophe. I reiterate my appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared. This is urgent. The civilian population must be spared from greater harm. With an humanitarian ceasefire the means of survival can be restored and humanitarian assistance can be delivered in a safe and timely manner across the Gaza Strip.”

Don’t miss the highly anticipated Massive Attack concert with special guests at Clifton Downs in Bristol on August 25th, 2024. Gates open at 14:00, so get your tickets now for an unforgettable experience. Purchase here.

Del Naja has released the artwork to raise funds for the charity War Child in support if children affected by the current hostilities between Israel and Palestine. The new release is a limited edition of his ‘Help95’ artwork and will raise funds for War Child’s Gaza Appeal.

The artwork was originally used for an album ‘help’ in support of War Child in 1995.

Speaking about their appeal. Reported in NME, War Child said “With the news of a ceasefire, War Child staff in Gaza can now rapidly scale-up their response providing essential supplies and urgent psychological first aid to the thousands of children who have lost everything,”

They added that  “Massive Attack have been generous supporters of War Child for over a quarter of a century now, they are incredibly passionate about the causes they choose to help and we are extremely grateful to benefit from their support…..The money raised from the fire-sale will enable War Child to reach more children and give them the chance of a brighter future. We are extremely grateful to have Robert’s continued support to help us protect, educate and stand up for the rights of the children of Gaza.”

The original campaign in 1995 was held in support of children affected by the Balkan Civil war.

This is  limited print fire sale which began on 24.06.21, and all proceeds from the sale of the reworked Help95 artwork will be going to support the War Child Gaza Appeal.

On Tuesday we’ll be talking to Robert Del Naja from @MassiveAttackUK and @carlymclachlan from @TyndallCentre about how festivals can reduce their carbon emissions and effectively tackle climate change.

Watch from 10am: https://t.co/97BV14OrnM@julianknight15 pic.twitter.com/JY8U6wBvCY

— Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (@CommonsDCMS) March 12, 2021

The artist also shared how little or none control, performers have over organisation of festivals or gigs. He mentioned Coldplay’s decision to put touring on hold due to environmental concerns, as not a step that will bring a much needed solution: “I understand their frustration, all bands have been feeling like this for a long time – how do you square touring with climate change?” The musician said: “One band’s unilateral action is not going to change the look of the whole problem at all” adding ”everyone knows that’s not the solution – one band stopping touring. Even all bands stopping touring isn’t the solution. Culture is important”.

> ignore the click bait headlines. All love for Chris & @coldplay -as we said today we totally share his frustration. Let’s all work together to de-carbonise the art form we love. #ClimateAction https://t.co/4SFUtm6bpZ — Massive Attack (@MassiveAttackUK) March 16, 2021

In November 2019 Coldplay frontman Chris Martin shared the band’s decision about putting live shows on hold: “We’re not touring this album“, he told BBC News. “We’re taking time over the next year or two, to work out how our tour can not only be sustainable [but] how can it be actively beneficial”. “All of us have to work out the best way of doing our job”, he continued, and “have a positive impact”.

Speaking about the solutions Robert has added: “There are lots of different solutions across transportation – you can charter trains and buses and even gets tents and luggage down to a festival in the right way, and bands can take a train themselves”. “There are lots of different solutions for energy and powering a festival”. Massive Attack will collaborate with Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research when gigs and touring will start after COVID-19 restrictions stop. 

The band have been supporting all sorts of environmental actions over the years, like joining Music Declares Emergency back in 2019. On top of that, Massive Attack announced last year that they will complete their European tour by train.

The two hour long chat with MP’s has been recorded and can be re-watched on the Parliamentlive page.

In @CommonsDCMS I spoke to @MassiveAttackUK‘s Robert Del Naja about what bands and festivals can do to reduce their carbon emissions. Robert tells me Massive Attack reduced their carbon footprint by 45-50% simply by touring the US by train. #FutureOfFestivalsInquiry pic.twitter.com/TD6vsCLqqv

— Kevin Brennan MP (@KevinBrennanMP) March 16, 2021

“For something like graffiti, which has inspired the world with font or anything to do with anyone wearing a baseball cap and sneakers, at its centre it is still misunderstood.

“But give me a bubble letter and put it on a T-shirt and write Banksy on it and we’re sorted… We can sell it now.

“No disrespect to Rob, I think he is a brilliant artist. I think he has flipped the world of art over.”

It is worth noting that Del Naja, one of the founding members of the group, is himself an acclaimed graffiti artist with his work having featured on all of Massive Attack’s record sleeves. Throughout the 1980s, Del Naja was credited for pioneering the British stencil graffiti movement as well as bringing hip hop and graffiti culture from the USA to Bristol during this period. Goldie and Del Naja are friends, and took part in the largest British graffiti art battle together in the 1980s.

The identity of Banksy is a topic which has long been the subject of intense scrutiny; Del Naja is the latest a long line of people to be unmasked as the world famous artist. An investigative journalist claimed last year that Del Naja was Banksy due to the fact that artworks kept appearing close to Massive Attack gigs around the world. Del Naja himself has previously denied such claims, instead stating that “He’s been to some of the gigs. It’s purely a matter of logistics and coincidence, nothing more than that.”

Previously, wide held speculation linked Bristol-born artist Robert Gunningham to the identity of Banksy; in 2016, scientists at Queen Mary University in London claimed to have ‘tagged’ Banksy through geographic profiling which suggested Gunningham to be the artist after a pattern emerged between the locations of Banksy’s graffiti and addresses with a close association to Gunningham.

In other news, Goldie recently released his newest studio album The Journey Man via his own record label Metalheadz. The 16-track project includes contributions from vocalists Natalie Duncan, Terri Walker, José James and Goldie’s wife Mika Wassenaar Price. It follows his release of The Alchemist: The Best of Goldie 1992-2012, which marked the producer’s 20th anniversary in music. The lead single from the project, I Adore You, can be viewed below: