In one of The Smiths’ great 1980s hits, Morrissey sang, “It’s the bomb, the bomb, the bomb that will bring us together.”
After the tragedy in Manchester, one of the city’s most famous and outspoken sons has had a dramatic change of heart. He has described his “monumental” anger over the terror attacks and hit out at politicians, the queen, and British Prime Minister Theresa May for their reaction to the bombing.
“Celebrating my birthday in Manchester as news of the Manchester Arena bomb broke. The anger is monumental. For what reason will this ever stop?” the singer wrote on his Facebook page.
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His statement appeared to attack the unwillingness of politicians to publicly describe the attack as the work of Islamist extremists, saying: “Manchester mayor Andy Burnham says the attack is the work of an ‘extremist’. An extreme what? An extreme rabbit? In modern Britain everyone seems petrified to officially say what we all say in private.”
Morrissey went on, “Theresa May says such attacks ‘will not break us’, but her own life is lived in a bullet-proof bubble, and she evidently does not need to identify any young people today in Manchester morgues.
“Also, ‘will not break us’ means that the tragedy will not break her, or her policies on immigration.
“The young people of Manchester are already broken—thanks all the same, Theresa.”
Morrissey said, “Politicians tell us they are unafraid, but they are never the victims. How easy to be unafraid when one is protected from the line of fire. The people have no such protections.”
Morrissey also attacked the mayor of London, saying, “Sadiq Khan says, ‘London is united with Manchester’, but he does not condemn Islamic State—who have claimed responsibility for the bomb.”
Morrissey, a fervent anti-royalist, also attacked the official reaction from the Monarch, saying, “The Queen receives absurd praise for her ‘strong words’ against the attack, yet she does not cancel today’s garden party at Buckingham Palace—for which no criticism is allowed in the Britain of free press.”
Critics were quick to point out that British MPs have often been the target of violence—the MP Jo Cox was murdered by a right-wing extremist in June last year.
