Singapore has barred Massive Attack from performing in the city-state after two members of the British group unfurled a Palestinian flag during their July 29 concert at the Star Theatre.

Singapore police and the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) issued a joint statement on July 31 confirming the investigation. The two band members were issued stern warnings and barred from re-entering Singapore, according to Reuters. Authorities said they investigated the pair for "actions of support for a political cause and unfurling of a foreign flag" at the concert, per the joint SPF-IMDA statement.

A circulating video showed the members unfurling the flag on stage to cheers from the audience, as The Guardian reported. The decision rests on Singapore's laws governing public speech, which prohibit the display of foreign national emblems without a permit or exemption. In 2023, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs released an advisory specifically discouraging citizens from wearing or displaying articles related to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

In a statement shared to Instagram on August 2, Massive Attack said they were "surprised and disappointed" by the authorities' response, writing that they did not imagine holding up the flag of a sovereign state recognised by 157 countries would violate any law, according to Pitchfork. The band said the entire group was detained by police, isolated, and separately questioned after the show, with some members subjected to hotel room searches and temporary passport confiscation. They also said the "Free Palestine" chants at the concert were "organically led" by audience members.

This is not the first time Massive Attack's political activism has brought them into conflict with authorities. In April, member Robert Del Naja was arrested at a London protest in support of Palestine Action, an activist group designated a terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom. Del Naja and bandmate Grant Marshall were also early supporters of the No Music for Genocide campaign, which calls on artists and labels to geo-block their music from streaming in Israel. Earlier in July, the band posted on Facebook about a collaboration titled "Massive Attack x Wear The Peace," themed around support for Lebanon, in which they described the colours of the Palestinian flag as symbolising how Palestine is uniting the world through a shared love for humanity.

The Star Theatre concert was part of Massive Attack's ongoing tour schedule. Whether the ban affects any future dates in the region has not been confirmed by the band or their representatives.