British band Massive Attack said its members were "detained by the police, isolated and separately questioned" after their concert in Singapore last Wednesday, where a Palestinian flag was displayed on stage at the end of the performance amid "Free Palestine" chants from the audience.
Following the performance at the Star Theatre, "we were surprised and disappointed that our entire band was detained by the police, isolated and separately questioned — with some members subjected to hotel room searches and temporary passport confiscation," the band said in a post on Instagram on Sunday.
Large sections of the audience "organically" chanted "Free Palestine" before the band took the stage and again at the end of the show, the group said, "presumably aware but undeterred that this spontaneous expression alone could violate their government's censorship laws."
"For our part, we did not imagine that merely holding up the flag of a sovereign state recognized by 157 countries (Palestine) would violate any law," it said.
Singapore police launched an investigation into the band over a "possible breach of license conditions" after the show.
The country prohibits the public display of foreign national emblems without a permit or exemption. Offenders may face a fine of up to $500, up to six months in jail, or both.
The police said in a statement on Friday that both members of the band, Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall, were banned from re-entering Singapore and issued "stern warnings."
"The Police take a serious view of acts which could potentially harm the racial and religious harmony in Singapore and urge the public, including foreigners, to refrain from importing foreign politics as this can undermine our social cohesion and the rule of law," it said.
The band, however, said that they were "proud to have made this impromptu expression" alongside their fans in Singapore "who clearly felt a moral imperative to show solidarity with the people of Palestine in their ongoing reality of illegal occupation, apartheid and genocide, and we salute their courage in doing so."
They expressed hope that Singapore would ratify the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and "allow their citizens expressions of conscience without fear of state prosecution."
