Key facts
- Rob Del Naja, frontman of Massive Attack, was arrested under the UK's Terrorism Act.
- The arrest occurred outside the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.
- Del Naja was holding a sign that read 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action'.
- Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist group on July 5, 2025.
- Del Naja stated he was being unlawfully arrested and called for Palestine Action to be de-proscribed.
- Del Naja was among 500 people arrested at a similar protest in London on April 11, 2026.
UK police arrested Massive Attack frontman Rob Del Naja under anti-terror laws on September 26, 2026, outside the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. Del Naja was holding a sign that read 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action'. The direct action group Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organization by the UK government on July 5, 2025, making support for it an offense under the Terrorism Act 2000.
In footage shared online, Del Naja stated he was being unlawfully arrested and called for Prime Minister Andy Burnham to de-proscribe Palestine Action. Defend Our Juries, which organized the protest as part of its 'Lift the Ban' campaign, released a pre-recorded message featuring Del Naja, human rights barrister Michael Mansfield KC, and Palestine Action co-founder Huda Amoori, urging Burnham to stop the proscription.
This is not the first time Del Naja has been arrested for his activism. He was among approximately 500 people arrested on April 11, 2026, during a similar demonstration in London. The High Court had previously ruled in February 2026 that the ban on Palestine Action was unlawful, determining that the majority of their actions did not meet the threshold for terrorism. Massive Attack had celebrated this ruling, criticizing the government's attempt to brand peaceful protesters as terrorists.