Massive Attack’s Yahya Sinwar footage sparks outrage at Manchester concert
Massive Attack’s Yahya Sinwar footage sparks outrage at Manchester concert
British trip-hop band Massive Attack has triggered widespread controversy after projecting footage of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his family in Gaza tunnels during a June 8 concert at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena, part of the Lido Festival.
The provocative display, part of a video montage titled “Open the Doors to the Merchants of Death”, has drawn fierce criticism for its perceived insensitivity, given Sinwar’s role in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which killed over 1,200 people, including 360 at the Nova music festival.
BREAKING @MassiveAttackUK screen footage of mass murderer Yahya Sinwar and his family in tunnels on October 10, 3 days after his men butchered people at a music festival very much like @TheCoopLive and @lidofestival where the video was shown!
— The Electronic Uprising (@uprising_1) June 8, 2025
Irony really is dead pic.twitter.com/rEbpNI9GvI
The footage, originally released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on February 13, 2024, shows Yahya Sinwar, his wife, and children in a tunnel under Khan Younis on October 10, 2023 – three days after the Hamas-led massacre that sparked the ongoing Gaza war. Additional IDF footage from October 19, 2024, depicted Sinwar preparing a bunker with luxury items like a plasma TV and cash, clearly prioritizing personal survival over Gaza’s civilians. Sinwar, killed by the IDF on October 16, 2024, in Rafah is considered a terrorist leader but viewed by some Palestinian supporters as a resistance figure.
Massive Attack reacts
Massive Attack’s montage, which also featured Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, J. Edgar Hoover, and IDF soldiers, was intended as a critique of global militarism and power structures, per the band’s June 9, 2025, statement.
— Massive Attack (@MassiveAttackUK) June 9, 2025
The backlash was immediate though. Alex Gandler, deputy spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the display “just disgusting,” accusing Massive Attack of glorifying a terrorist responsible for the October 7 attack. Marc Levy of the Jewish Representative Council for Greater Manchester stated, “Projecting images of Yahya Sinwar, who orchestrated the murder of hundreds at a music festival, in a similar setting is an affront to victims.”
Massive Attack’s history of criticizing Israel, including supporting Palestinian causes and boycotting Israeli events, fueled accusations of an anti-Israel agenda. The band had previously demanded the removal of Barclays Bank signage from the Co-op Live Arena, citing its alleged investments in arms companies linked to Israel.
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