Robert Del Naja Arrested at Palestine Action Protest in London’s Trafalgar Square

A mass protest in central London on Saturday, 11 April, against the UK Government’s ban on Palestine Action led to the arrest of Robert Del Naja, the Massive Attack frontman who performs under the name 3D.

DJ Mag said the protest took place at London’s Trafalgar Square and was organised to oppose the UK Government’s ban on the activist group, which has been listed as a proscribed organisation.

Al Jazeera

The same event produced “523 arrests of people aged between 18 and 87, according to The Guardian,” DJ Mag reported, and Rolling Stone described Del Naja as “among the more than 500 people arrested in London on Saturday.”

The Guardian reported that Del Naja was arrested on suspicion of showing support for a proscribed organisation after attending a mass protest against the ban in Trafalgar Square on Saturday afternoon, holding a sign that read “I Oppose Genocide, I Support Palestine Action.”

In footage described by The Guardian, police officers told Del Naja he was being put under arrest before carrying him away from the demonstration as other protesters cheered and applauded.

The Guardian also recorded a man asking Del Naja, “Can you tell us why you’re being arrested today?” and Del Naja replied, “I’m being unlawfully arrested.”

Arab News similarly described Del Naja being detained on suspicion of showing support for a proscribed organization in central London on Saturday, with video showing police approaching him and informing him of his arrest as onlookers cheered.

After his arrest, Del Naja issued a statement posted to Instagram on Monday, 13 April, describing the situation as “total madness” and arguing that the legal basis for arrest was disproportionate to the act of protest.

DJ Mag reported that Del Naja said: “In Britain in 2026, you can be arrested under the Terrorism Act for sitting in silence, holding a cardboard sign stating that you oppose genocide and supporting non-violent action to prevent it.”

Al-Monitor

In the same statement, he wrote: “Of course, everyone knows this is total madness (including many of the police officers making these arrests, and the High Court judges who recently ruled them unlawful), and yet, somehow it continues.”

Dork and Rolling Stone both carried the same core language, with Dork quoting him saying: “Throughout the Israeli genocide in Gaza most people, myself included, felt like they were gradually going mad.”

Rolling Stone also quoted Del Naja’s line that “The sense of madness can be overcome,” and added that he said “We can demand that our government upholds international laws that previous generations sacrificed their lives for.”

Del Naja’s statement also included a specific reference to court proceedings, saying “a few hours in police custody under unlawful arrest is a very small price to pay,” and he concluded with “Free Palestine. No wars.”

Arab News reported that Del Naja told a bystander, “I’m being unlawfully arrested,” and it also quoted him on his decision to attend the protest despite potential consequences for travel, including his concern about “how we might not be able to travel and get visas.”

The protest unfolded against a backdrop of legal challenges to the UK Government’s decision to make Palestine Action a proscribed organisation under UK anti-terror laws, with multiple outlets describing the ban as ruled unlawful by the High Court but still in force pending appeal.

“DUBAI: Robert Del Naja, the frontman of UK band Massive Attack, has been detained on suspicion of showing support for a proscribed organization after taking part in a large protest in central London on Saturday”

Arab News

DJ Mag said the protest was organised to oppose the UK Government’s ban on the activist group, and it noted that “Although the High Court previously ruled the ban unlawful, it is still in force amid a government appeal.”

Rolling Stone similarly stated that “In July 2025, the British government made it illegal to support Palestine Action by banning the group under under anti-terror legislation,” and that “The ban was ruled unlawful in February by the high court, but has since remained in place pending an appeal.”

The Guardian provided additional detail on the High Court’s reasoning, reporting that the high court judgment said the government’s proscription of the direct action group was “disproportionate and unlawful” and that most of their activities had not reached the level, scale and persistence to be defined as terrorism.

The Guardian also described how policing shifted after the judgment, saying that after the High Court decision the Met indicated its officers would be unlikely to continue arrests, but “by March, it said it would resume arresting protesters for supporting Palestine Action.”

Arab News reported that “Following the High Court decision, the Metropolitan Police initially suggested arrests would cease, but in March confirmed that officers would resume detaining individuals for expressions of support for the group.”

Arab News further stated that “The demonstration was organized by Defend Our Juries,” and it quoted the group’s criticism that “The Met are choosing to make arrests despite the government’s ban on the group being ruled unlawful by the high court, and leading lawyers warning that any arrests would be unlawful.”

While all outlets described Del Naja’s arrest at Trafalgar Square and the protest’s opposition to the ban on Palestine Action, they framed the event with different emphases, including how they characterized the scale of arrests, the legal posture, and the tone of Del Naja’s remarks.

DJ Mag highlighted the protest’s organisation and the number of arrests, writing that the protest led to “523 arrests of people aged between 18 and 87, according to The Guardian,” and it also described Del Naja sitting “among hundreds of fellow protestors” with a sign reading “I Oppose Genocide, I Support Palestine Action.”

BBC

Pitchfork and AV Club both foregrounded Del Naja’s “3D” identity and the charge, with Pitchfork stating he is charged with “suspicion of showing support for a proscribed organization” and AV Club repeating the same charge while describing him as “vocalist and producer.”

The Guardian, by contrast, focused heavily on the footage and the exchange during the arrest, including the question “Can you tell us why you’re being arrested today?” and Del Naja’s reply “I’m being unlawfully arrested.”

Rolling Stone framed the story as Del Naja speaking out after an “Unlawful” arrest, and it quoted him saying “The sense of madness can be overcome,” while also reporting that he told the Press Association he wanted to attend despite consequences for visas.

Arab News described the bystander interaction and the protest as the “first major demonstration against the ban on Palestine Action since a High Court ruling in February deemed it unlawful,” and it reported that “The Met are choosing to make arrests despite the government’s ban on the group being ruled unlawful by the high court.”

Resident Advisor and DJ Mag both referenced the protest’s banner “Everyone Day,” but Resident Advisor added that Del Naja was one of 523 individuals detained “in Trafalgar Square on suspicion of showing support for a proscribed organisation, the Sky News reports.”

The arrest of Del Naja and the 523 detentions described by The Guardian and DJ Mag were presented by multiple outlets as part of a continuing enforcement pattern that has expanded since the ban was made illegal and then kept in place pending appeal.

Rolling Stone said that “Since the ban was put into place last summer, more than 2,700 people have been arrested for allegedly voicing support for the group,” while Pitchfork reported “To date, more than 2,200 people have been arrested for allegedly supporting Palestine Action.”

DJ Mag

The Guardian stated that “More than 2,200 people have been arrested so far for allegedly expressing support for Palestine Action,” and it also reported that the Metropolitan police said 523 people had been arrested by midnight on 11 April with ages ranging from 18 to 87.

Arab News similarly reported that “Authorities reported that more than 500 people were arrested during Saturday’s protest, while over 2,200 individuals have been detained to date on suspicion of backing Palestine Action.”

Defend Our Juries, which organised the demonstration, criticised the arrests as unlawful, with the group saying: “The Met are choosing to make arrests despite the government’s ban on the group being ruled unlawful by the high court, and leading lawyers warning that any arrests would be unlawful.”

The Guardian added that a spokesperson for Defend Our Juries described the arrests as “truly surreal,” and said “An already absurdly authoritarian measure has now descended even further into farce ahead of the court of appeal hearing this month.”

Del Naja’s own comments linked the immediate aftermath to court challenges, saying he would “stand up in court with the right guidance and say, ‘This was an unlawful arrest and, therefore, I don’t accept it.'”