A video promoting Humanz, the new album by Gorillaz, the virtual band co-founded by Blur frontman Damon Albarn, left some wondering. Could the appearance of a character in a T-shirt with the slogan “It’s not Rael” be a jibe at the Jewish state?

After all, seven years ago Gorillaz dropped a planned gig in Israel late in the day but went on to play in Syria.

But suspicious minds can relax. A spokesman for the ban explained that the reference, in the video to the track Saturnz Bar,  was to Raelism, the movement which believes human beings were created by aliens called Elohim.