LONDON
The British band Massive Attack expressed solidarity with Palestinians during their concert in Serbia on Thursday night.
The English trip-hop collective highlighted the dire situation in the Gaza Strip at the annual Arsenal Fest in Kragujevac.
While the band performed, headlines and videos showing destroyed buildings and scenes of devastation in Gaza were projected on a screen behind them.
Formed in 1988 in Bristol, Massive Attack has publicly denounced what it describes as the “illegal occupation, apartheid system and killing with impunity of thousands of Palestinians” for over three decades, according to a statement the band released in April.
The statement, issued in support of the punk band Kneecap, which faced criticism and cancelled shows for displaying messages about Gaza at the Coachella music festival, said the group stands with artists “with the moral courage” to speak out against the destruction in Palestine.
“Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story. And the silence, acquiescence and support of those crimes against humanity by the elected British government is the real story,” it added.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 56,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.