KARACHI:
English trip hop band, Massive Attack, have launched an alliance for musicians who are facing intimidation and threats from within the industry over their support for Palestine. The band took to Instagram and said that they are hoping to protect artists from organised censorship that silences the voices speaking against genocide.
Earlier this year, Irish hip hop trio, Kneecap’s Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence after the band displayed a Hezbollah flag on stage in London. They were removed from the Scottish festival TRNSMT (pronounced ‘transmit’) due to safety concerns and their set at Glastonbury was excluded from BBC’s live broadcast.
Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds also raised a Palestinian flag during their concert in Milan on May 25, joining the international chorus against mass genocide.
Similarly, after Bob Vylan chanted, “Death, death to the Israel Defense Forces” during their performance at Glastonbury, they were dropped by their booking agency and removed from several concert line-ups.
Vylan addressed the controversy at a concert by saying, “We just want to see the liberation of the Palestinian people. That’s it. I don’t think it’s too crazy a thing to ask. I don’t think it’s a violent thing to ask, right? The liberation of the Palestinian people from a tyrannical oppressor. That’s all we want. Each and every single time, they will not silence us.”
Massive Attack’s stance
Joining these musicians, Massive Attack’s statement further supported the cause. “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 noted.
Reflecting on their experiences, they shared, “We’re aware of the scale of aggressive, vexatious campaigns operated by UK Lawyers For Israel and multiple incidences of intimidation within the industry itself. They are designed solely to silence and silence artists from speaking their hearts and minds.”
The UK lawyers For Israel has used lawfare in Britain “To suppress opposition to the Gaza genocide,” says World Socilaist Website. “They have brought a raft of lawsuits to stifle free speech, chill public debate and intimidate Palestinian solidarity activists. Those targeted include, among others, academics, doctors, students and charity organisations.”
Taking a jab at the resistance from these institutions, the band wrote, “Because of our expressions of conscience, we’ve too have been subjected to various intimidations from within our industry that are all live and recorded. We have also faced legal repercussions via organised bodies such as UK Lawyers For Israel, whose range of activities has now finally been exposed in a new documentary film projected last night by the Led By Donkeys collective.”
They further talked about the sources of this censorship, claiming, “There is a level of censorship within the musicians’ industry or from highly organised external legal bodies that terrify them and their management teams with aggressive legal action. The intention is clear and obvious: to silence them.”
Supporting fellow musicians
Extending their support to fellow artists, they penned, “Having withstood these campaigns of attempted censorship, we won’t standby and allow other artists – particularly those at earlier stages of their careers or in other positions of professional vulnerability – to be threatened into silence or career cancellation.”
The band made the intentions of their efforts clear by saying, “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.”
They sent out a motivating message, asking musicians to assemble. “In this spirit, we encourage artists who’ve been placed in this position, or those who now wish to use their platforms to talk about Palestine, but are concerned about industrial or legal repercussions to contact us.”
The band further urged the musical community, “If you’ve felt anxious about speaking out before but feel it’s too late, it isn’t. It’s never too late to join this movement. Everyone is welcome.”
The band put forward several demands. “We want to work together to share experiences, and factual resources,” they stated. “To be creative. Vitally we want to stand in strength and solidarity to collectively demand the following.”
Their list included, “Immediate, unfettered access to Gaza for recognised international aid agencies without military threat, end to UK arm sales and licenses to Israel, end of the atrocious targeting of medical & aid workers and an immediate and permanent ceasefire. A free Palestine.”
Various artists such as Kneecap, Fontaines D.C., Brian Eno, and Garbage have also echoed the need for an unfiltered voice against the atrocities taking place in Palestine. Calling an end to unwarranted pressure, Kneecap wrote, “End threats and censorship against artists who speak out against the genocide in Palestine. Speak out. Stand up. We are the majority.”
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