Gaza: Massive Attack, Brian Eno and other artists unite their voices in the face of pro-Israeli pressures

The Massive British Group Attack, a major figure in the committed trip-hop, and Brian Eno, a legend of amber music and influential producer (David Bowie, U2, Coldplay), announce the creation of a collective of artists mobilized to defend freedom of expression in the face of pressures suffered by those who denounce war in Gaza. Alongside them, the Fontaines DC and Kneecap groups.

In a message published on Instagram, they denounce “aggressive and vexatious” campaigns carried out by pro-Israeli groups, especially UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), against artists taking position on Gaza. Their objective: to support those who, often at the start of their career, are silenced under the threat of cancellations of concerts, legal proceedings or denigration campaigns.

The collective cites several recent cases: the duo Punk Bob Vylan, targeted by a complaint from UKLFI after an anti-IDF slogan launched in Glastonbury, or Mo Chara, member of Kneecap, charged for having brandished a flag linked to Hezbollah. In both cases, concerts were canceled following UKLFI interventions. “We are talking as an artists who refuse to look away at what we consider as a genocide in Gaza,” they write. They denounce a climate of censorship orchestrated to dissuade any speaking, and affirm their solidarity with those who, in the music industry, are now afraid to speak publicly.

The collective calls for a wide mobilization around three requirements: an immediate and permanent cease-fire, without hindrance humanitarian access to Gaza, and the end of sales of British weapons in Israel. Thursday evening, the group LED by Donkeys Screened a critical documentary on UKLFI in London, in support of the initiative.

UKLFI claims for its part to respect artistic freedom, while criticizing Massive Attack for having “crossed a line” during a concert where images assimilating Israel to the Nazi regime would have been broadcast. Massive Attack disputes any provocative intention, speaking of a digital collage from its context. Faced with intimidation, these artists take the opposite and organize themselves: a collective, artistic and political response, so that Gaza does not become a prohibited subject.