Musician and songwriter Morrissey angrily excoriated British politicians following Monday night’s deadly terrorist attack at a pop music concert in Manchester, England, claiming that it is easy for politicians to say they are “unafraid” and to remain resolute while failing to address the root causes of terrorism and hiding behind their own robust security.
In a post to his Facebook page Tuesday, the 58-year-old former Smiths frontman said he was celebrating his birthday in Manchester when news of the terrorist attack broke.
The suicide bombing attack — which occurred at the Manchester Arena following a concert by American pop singer Ariana Grande — claimed the lives of at least 22 people and left dozens more injured, many of them young children.
“The anger is monumental. For what reason will this ever stop?” Morrissey wrote, before continuing to criticize several British politicians, and the Queen of England, by name.
“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,” the musician said of the British prime minister. “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.”
“Sadiq Khan says ‘London is united with Manchester’, but he does not condemn Islamic State – who have claimed responsibility for the bomb,” Morrissey added.
The singer also criticized the Queen for allegedly failing to cancel a party Tuesday at Buckingham Palace, and called out Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham for referring to the terrorist attack as being the work of an “extremist,” and leaving it at that.
“An extreme what? An extreme rabbit?” he questioned.
“In modern Britain everyone seems petrified to officially say what we all say in private,” he concluded. “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.”
Authorities identified the terrorist who struck Monday night as one Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old British citizen of Libyan origin who had reportedly been known to British security services before the attack. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on Tuesday.
See Morrissey’s complete statement below.
Celebrating my birthday in Manchester as news of the Manchester Arena bomb broke. The anger is monumental.
For what reason will this ever stop?
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. Sadiq Khan says “London is united with Manchester”, but he does not condemn Islamic State – who have claimed responsibility for the bomb. 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. 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. 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
23 May 2017.
