Overview
- Robert Del Naja, the Massive Attack cofounder, was detained on suspicion of showing support for a proscribed group during Saturday’s Trafalgar Square protest, where the Met says it arrested 523 people.
- Del Naja posted on Instagram on Monday that the arrests were unlawful and said a few hours in custody was a small price to pay to challenge the policy.
- Palestine Action is designated a terrorist organization under UK law, which makes some public support a crime, even though the High Court ruled the proscription unlawful in February and the ban remains during the government’s appeal.
- Rights groups say police reversed an earlier pause and returned to mass arrests, and campaigners report detainees included elderly and disabled people aged 18 to 87, with footage showing officers carrying Del Naja away.
- Counter Terrorism Police count more than 2,700 arrests linked to the ban to date, and artists backing campaigns like No Music For Genocide and Spotify boycotts have turned the dispute into a broader fight over protest and culture.