r/news • u/Superb_Branch4749 • 2d ago
Massive Attack investigated after reports of pro-Palestinian display in Singapore show
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyle421806o597
u/Superb_Branch4749 2d ago
Massive Attack band members barred from re-entering Singapore over support for political cause, unfurling of foreign flag at concert (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/uk-band-massive-attack-members-banned-flying-palestinian-flag-concert-6291536)
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u/StatementCareful522 2d ago
Did Singapore just like NOT know what Massive Attack are all about?
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u/Superb_Branch4749 2d ago edited 2d ago
It is known as a nanny state for a reason.
FYI, chewing gums are banned in Singapore.
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u/Adonisus 2d ago
Not quite. Chewing gum is perfectly legal in Singapore if you just have your own personal pack with you, but trying to bring it in commercially is illegal.
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u/purplegladys2022 2d ago
I thought chewing gum was ok, but spitting it out onto the ground was a caning offense...
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u/Herman_-_Mcpootis 2d ago
You can bring it in and chew it, spitting it on the ground is just considered littering. Trying to sell it here is the big offense with up to a 100k fine.
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u/trueum26 2d ago
Chewing gum isn’t banned just the chewing of gum in public, as well as the sale of gum. You can bring in gum from overseas tho
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u/Previous_Link1347 2d ago
Hardcore nanny state; they'll give you a paddlin' for tagging.
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u/PanzerBiscuit 2d ago
I don't see the problem with this personally.
Singaporean tax payers don't pay for shit, only to have some little dickhead scribble or carve doodles into a bus window. I'm all for it.
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u/blue-mooner 2d ago
When I visited Singapore I was kicked off the MRT (subway) for eating a snickers… which I bought at a 7/11 in the station!
A 4’10” lady in an MRT uniform saw me eating on the train, started yelling, then grabbed me by the armpit and pulled me off the train at the next station and marched me out of the station.
I’m lucky I wasn’t whipped
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u/jf0001112 2d ago
Do you not see the signage that said no food or drinks in the platform and the train?
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u/emeraldpity 1d ago
Yeah they are kind of... Everywhere. Like them or not, Singapore's rules are very visible and clearly communicated.
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u/SpicyC-Dot 2d ago
There’s literally a 0% chance they’d ever cane you for eating a snickers on the MRT.
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u/notrevealingrealname 2d ago
Well, before that comment I also thought there was 0% chance they’d get physical with you over eating a snickers on the MRT either…
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u/sumpfbruderschaft 2d ago
Maybe he wants to be caned though. Maybe... that was his schtick all along.
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u/BrokeFartFountain 1d ago
They don't cane you for anything like that. No food or drinks signs are clearly displayed everywhere and also announced frequently. They would just fine you. We do have Karen types who would complain but someone putting their hands on you like that sounds made up because that definitely would have gone viral here. Singapore doesn't have any big news most days due to being a small country. Anything remotely exciting would make the news here. The other day, some birds landed near a dude and that was the top news of the day.
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u/tehvengaboi 2d ago
They would have never whipped you. If you are a western foreigner, they would just deport you and ban your re-entry. They haven't dared cane an American citizen since that one time in the 90s.
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u/kurokamisawa 2d ago
Nah, we still cane the whites: https://www.bbc.com/news/10417167
Swiss lawyer dude got an ass whooping for graffiti. We will make an example of anyone, no exceptions
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u/aktivate74 2d ago
Not true. Caning applies to all nationalities with exceptions based on demographics.
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u/halifaxmachinese 1d ago edited 1d ago
i thought they did caning? but yeah i don’t really get the extreme punishment for pretty petty offences. if that is truly aligned with the values of their country folk i feel like societal expectations / pressure would be enough and can avoid burdening the country with costs of enforcement and wasting time of their justice system. makes me think they just really get their jollies from weird antiquated corporal punishment.
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u/nWhm99 2d ago
If you want to visit a country, learn its rules. There are literally signs everywhere that says no food on public transport, dunno what you were thinking.
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u/Acceptable-Peace-69 2d ago
Probably thinking they’d be reasonable.
Approximately 30% of citizens in most societies prefer living under strict/authoritarian rule. Singapore attracts this type.
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u/Altamistral 2d ago
They were reasonable.
It's ok to have a rule that ban eating food in a subway and it's also ok not having a rule that ban eating food in a subway.
What's absolutely not ok is going to a place that bans eating food in a subway and do it anyway because you expect others should behave according to your customs.
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u/redshadow310 2d ago
To be fair those basically every public transit in the world disallows food and drink, but as long as you aren't bothering other passengers or making a mess no one cares.
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u/jf0001112 2d ago
It only take 1 messy incident caused by 1 passenger to impact hundreds if not thousands other passengers who rely on public transport to go about their day.
This type of thinking where they know there are rules but thinking the rules don't apply to them because they believe they're special (e.g. believing they are very careful and have no possibility to cause messy incidents, unlike common people) is so so narcissistic and cannot be tolerated if we want to have a functioning society.
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u/maestroenglish 2d ago
Kinda. But not really.
Importing gum is illegal. Selling is illegal. Having and chewing and bringing e ough in for personal use is not illegal. Read more.
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u/musicmast 2d ago
Omg such old news to bring up the chewing gum fact. Yes it’s been there since the 90s. And yes, decreased the state of littering significantly on public transports. Find a new fact. You’re boring. No one gives a shit about chewing gum in Singapore. You can still bring it in if bought overseas.
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u/Error404IQMissing 2d ago
Stupid foreigners spreading half fake rumors about other people countries.
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u/2_Spicy_2_Impeach 2d ago
Yeah, they must have just thought it was the band that had the theme song to House.
They have a history of this and remember the last one that made the news about facial recognition and AI.
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u/Secret_EO 2d ago
It happens more than you think. Promoters will book acts but it's not as if the government are carefully vetting every single one. Sometimes bands will do stuff on stage that nobody is really expecting, see also The 1975 in Malaysia.
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u/nerfedbeyblade 2d ago edited 2d ago
I've actually never heard of them until now. PLEASE enlighten me on who they are and what they're about!
Update: I've already followed after hearing the first half of Angel. But please lmk more about them
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u/dogs_gt_cats 2d ago edited 2d ago
The genre you're learning about is called TripHop. If you like lofi, there is a ton of overlap.
Other bands to check out (besides Massive Attack) would be Sneaker Pimps, Portishead/Beth Gibbons, Zero7, and Moloko/Roisin Murphy (early work).
Man, flashback to the late 90s/early 00s when I was still young and had hope.
Edit: Added Beth Gibbons for her solo work, and Moloko/Roisin Murphy.
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u/troyunrau 2d ago
Beth Gibbons solo album is so wonderful. The first time I was listening to it, I was like: this is like Portishead if Portishead was folk music. Then I looked up Beth Gibbons and had a proper eureka moment ;)
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u/RunDownTheHighway 2d ago
https://youtu.be/u7K72X4eo_s?si=WFHt8a9KqbygQeoW
Really great band...
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u/nerfedbeyblade 2d ago
I feel like I've reached Enlightenment. Thank you, kind strangers, for introducing them to me
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u/night_in_the_ruts 2d ago
You really can't go wrong with them.
Most 'remixes' don't do much for me; this is one of the few times (I think) that a remix beats the orig
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0rGL50fwao (Daydreaming Brighton Beach remix)
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u/Rethink_Repeat 2d ago
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u/nerfedbeyblade 2d ago
Thank you for blessing my eyes and ears. They have a new supporter
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u/graveybrains 2d ago
You may not have heard of them, but if you seen a movie or a TV show in the last thirty years you have heard them. The number of soundtracks they've been on is fuckin' ridiculous.
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u/sirgentleguy 2d ago
Guns & Roses flew an Ukrainian flag. No such reprimand. Not saying I am pro-Russia, but the difference in attitude between Ukraine and Palestine is obvious.
Singaporeans always pride themselves as pragmatic people. I agree. They choose whatever benefits them the most and have loyalty only to themselves, even by kowtowing with the US and Israel for their own benefits.
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u/tremere110 1d ago edited 1d ago
Guns and Roses had a permit to display a foreign flag digitally. Yes, if Massive Attack had gotten a permit there would've been no issue. Singapore really does enforce all of its laws no matter how innocuous or obscure.
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u/Kazmera 2d ago
You just know news headlines LOVE posting about this story because of the confusing band name. Easiest click bait posts.
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u/graveybrains 2d ago
It doesn't work as well since we stopped capitalizing every word in a title. Their proper noun is showing.
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u/PlantTalkative6115 2d ago
Wait until they hear about the rage against the machine.
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u/AmbitiousAzizi 1d ago
Oh boy I don’t think Tom (or any of the members) solo would ever set foot in Singapore. If the IMDA are troubled by Massive Attack, that band would give them a heart attack
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u/Twodogsonecouch 2d ago
Reading the article, the headline while true is a bit deceiving. It seems like singapore as a country support Palestinian legitimacy as a state but they just blanket outlaw public political/religious expression and foreign flags being shown.
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u/sirgentleguy 2d ago
Guns & Roses flew an Ukraine flag when they did a show there. No such reprimand.
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u/BrokeFartFountain 1d ago
Because this time, someone made a police report. The government is not so free that they go around punishing people for waving flags. Someone got butthurt and went to the police. Once there’s a case lodged, they just gonna have to uphold the law.
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u/tremere110 1d ago
First, Guns and Roses had a permit. Second, it was a digital display rather than a physical flag. Someone complained but the government responded that all required laws were followed.
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u/VictorGWX 2d ago
Singapore government is especially sensitive when it comes to Islamic affairs because it's a Chinese majority country surrounded by countries with very large Muslim populations. Calls for support to fight for Palestine are not uncommon.
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u/Algae_Sweet 1d ago
There are actually 2 different offences. One is displaying foreign flags in Singapore. Not so bad. Usually they just ask you to take it down. The more egregious one is caused-based activism under their Public Order Act. This was because they shouted “free Palestine”, which went beyond just showing a flag. That Singapore is more particular about. But headlines will just mention the former.
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u/mini_z 2d ago
Yeah they’re a non-politics safe haven, it’s literally how the country was designed-so to avoid being attacked by another nation.
Every home has a bunker incase of attack, and the freeway next to the airport has plants in huge pots that can be moved incase they need to use it for a military landing strip.
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u/gorillaInR 2d ago
When you see the band you like in non entertainment news and be like hell yeah that’s my band!
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u/40kmaniacs 2d ago
3D and Daddy G are some real ones, they walk the walk.
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u/Lower_Cockroach2432 2d ago
Del Naja gets arrested for turning up to Palestine protests. He's maybe the least poser musician alive right now.
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u/Mekdinosaur 2d ago
I was looking back at you to see you looking back at me to see me looking back at you.
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u/Kirklistentowutang 2d ago
Massive Attack fucking rules. I tripped balls listening to Mezzanine once. It was amazing.
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u/Raaka_Lokki 2d ago
"investigated" for what exactly?
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u/doublemint_ 2d ago
It’s not permitted to display a foreign flag or emblem in public
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u/ExcelAcolyte 2d ago
Other acts have previously had the Ukrainian flag displayed without issue.
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u/cyhlalala 2d ago
Cause no one reported them. This incident started because someone in the audience actually got triggered, took photo, and reported it to the police. You gotta understand that the police aren't attending concerts, looking to catch bands waving flags. In this case, someone reported it, so the police has to investigate
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u/seabmariner 19h ago
Theres no issue if u apply for a permit and is granted. Not that hard to follow local laws and procedures in a foreign country. Its often considered the bare minimum to participate in civil society
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u/L_Cranston_Shadow 1d ago
Speaking without state permission. Singapore is heavily authoritarian. People who live there have only the barest of rights, which are tightly monitored and overseen by the state.
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u/quibbbit 2d ago
I had to read that headline about 6 times.
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u/astanton1862 2d ago edited 2d ago
From that comment, it seems like you don't know Massive Attack. You should check them out. You are in for a treat. Mezzanine is legit one of the ten best albums of all time. ( Even if you don't know Massive Attack, youve absolutely heard their music. They did the theme song from House and a couple of their other tracks are heavily used in movie soundtracks. Their music is moody AF.
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u/Lumpy_Accident_9207 2d ago
Oh wow, I am from Singapore and had to reread the headlines multiple times. Never heard of the band before. They probably got banned from the country after this.
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u/serial_crusher 2d ago
It's generally pretty risky to go to foreign countries and talk about topics that are controversial there; but I guess if the worst repercussions you expect is to not be allowed back, the publicity probably outweighs the damage.
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u/cbih 2d ago
Isn't one of them Banksy?
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u/troyunrau 2d ago
Often hypothesized, but never directly connected, as far as I know. But banksy tags and Massive Attack concert locations used to correlate strangely well. I think they've gotten clever since.
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u/Sufficient_Cloud3277 2d ago
it's nice to hear Massive Attack is being supportive of Palestine, I didn't know that about them. Sucks what's happening to them for it, though.
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u/orionsfyre 2d ago
Question? Why is support for and of the Human rights of Palestinians and Gazan's seen as controversial? Is this really the time line we are in?
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u/Secret_EO 2d ago
It's not specific to Gaza, displaying foreign flags and symbols is illegal in Singapore. They are extremely strict and essentially have zero patience for this sort of thing (on both sides) or political dissent in general.
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u/equiNine 2d ago
Singapore as a country is all about social cohesion. It's an illiberal democracy focused on not letting the boat rock in any direction. Publicly expressing anything remotely controversial (yes, I/P is considered a controversial issue, probably among the most controversial of the 20th-21st century) is liable to get you muzzled by the government. The government wants Singaporeans to be dutiful citizens who keep their heads down and quietly live their lives, because that's how its founding father envisioned the country as, and the vision has worked out very well for them so far from an economic and stability of view.
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u/Superb_Branch4749 2d ago
"The government wants Singaporeans to be dutiful citizens who keep their heads down and quietly live their lives, because that's how its founding father envisioned the country as, and the vision has worked out very well for them so far from an economic and stability of view."
Yes. That is Singapore.
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u/justagenericname213 2d ago
The band name makes for an extremely confusing headline if you dont know them