NME Gets Morrissey’s Panties In A Bunch Over Accusations Of Racism

jharv | November 29, 2007 9:15 am
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Even though it’s not the first time bigoted statements/iconography have earned him terrible “Big Mouth Strikes Again” headlines from the English tabloids, an older, more retiring Morrissey has had enough of being scrutinized for his indefensible positions on evil foreigners and whatnot. Living in America must have made him more litigious as well, because now he’s planning on suing the NME for defamation because they called him a racist after he made remarks about how immigration is destroying the moral fiber of her majesty’s Great Britain.

The magazine quoted Morrissey allegedly saying: “Although I don’t have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears. So the price is enormous.”

“If you travel to Germany, it’s still absolutely Germany. If you travel to Sweden, it still has a Swedish identity. But travel to England and you have no idea where you are,” the singer is reported to have said.

Well, it’s not exactly showing up to an interview with a sign that reads “GO BACK FROM WHERE YOU CAME FROM.” Right? Okay, it’s pretty bad. You’d think Steve would know better after two decades of dealing with reporters hungry for sensationalistic quotes from a noted crank who thinks the modern world blows, and eager to tart up their stories with crypto-racist rhetoric. He later issued a semi-retraction/apology, saying “It could be construed that the reason I wouldn’t wish to live in England is the immigration explosion. And that’s not true at all.” But the NME has yet to print the retraction Morrissey has demanded.

Morrissey Insists On NME Apology [BBC]

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