Palestinian activist Aarab Barghouti introduced Gorillaz during their set at the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona on June 6.
The band invited Barghouti, son of imprisoned Palestinian politician Marwan Barghouti, to open the performance with a speech on the Estrella Damm stage. Barghouti told the crowd that his father represents hope for millions of Palestinians despite being held among 10,000 prisoners by Israel. He added that freedom had been won in South Africa, Ireland and Algeria because people refused to look away, and urged the audience to keep fighting for Palestine, Gaza and justice. Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja had also invited Barghouti to speak before the group's own set was cancelled due to extreme weather on June 4. Del Naja later shared a photo of the meeting backstage. Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn has supported Palestinian causes in recent years, including a performance at the Together For Palestine event in London last September.