“Peaceful citizens of conscience have become terrorists, at the will of a human rights lawyer turned authoritarian." Massive Attack hit out at the "moral vacuum" of Keir Starmer's government as musician Peter Perrett, 73, is arrested at London protest

Massive Attack's Robert del Naja has hit out at Britain's "ugly" government following the arrest of 532 individuals, half of them aged 60 or over, at a pro-Palestine protest in Parliament Square in London on Saturday, August 9.

Those arrested were holding placards displaying the message, "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action", and were arrested under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, as Palestine Action has been declared a proscribed terrorist organisation by the British government.

As of July 5, membership or public support for the group is now classified as a criminal offence, punishable up to 14 years in jail.

Musician Peter Perrett, the 73-year-old former frontman of The Only Ones, was among those arrested.

Robert del Naja also attended the protest, and is pictured on his band's instagram page holding a placard featuring the words, 'Waste Of Police Time.'

"UK civil liberties are trapped in a deeply cynical, manufactured crisis," he posted on Instagram. "Peaceful citizens of conscience (including the frail, the blind, pensioners, poets, vicars & a retired colonel from the British Army) have become terrorists, at the will of a human rights lawyer turned authoritarian; who now lunges at opinions that expose the moral vacuum of his ugly, unrecognisable government.

"The ultimate truth though is that this is not really about silent, crouched citizens surrounded by packs of 10 burly British police men & women & thrown in caged vans, nor the politicians with the masks of corporate lobbying & genocide complicity torn from their faces.

"It’s about trying to fill with distractions the vast & expanding gulf between the horror of the British public – of more than 2 years of the citizens of Gaza, burning alive in tents, being shot dead in food queues, or dropping dead where they stand from starvation – and the duplicitous, arrogant & cowardly complicity of their government."

Last month, Roger Waters voiced his support for Palestine Action , risking prosecution under the Terrorism Act 2000.

In the video posted on his social media channels on July 5, former Pink Floyd legend Waters said, "For the record, I support Palestine Action", calling the pressure group "a great organisation", and sharing his belief that the "non-violent" group are "absolutely not terrorists in any way."

Speaking from his studio, Waters then flipped the camera on his phone to display a piece of cardboard on which he has written the words, ‘ROGER WATERS SUPPORT PALESTINE ACTION’ beneath which he added "Parliament has been corrupted by agents of a genocidal foreign power! STAND UP AND BE COUNTED. IT'S NOW!!!"

In his video, Waters declared July 5 as “Independence Day 2025”, and states, “I declare my independence from the Government of the UK, who’ve just designated Palestine Action a terrorist, proscribed terrorist organisation.”

"This is the 'I am Spartacus' moment," he posted. "Please stand up."