British indie rock legend Morrissey tore into the leaders of his country Tuesday for their apparent hypocrisy and inaction in the wake of the deadly Manchester terror attack.
In a post published to his official Facebook page, Morrissey — whose full name is Steven Patrick Morrissey — expressed his “monumental” anger at British leaders who talk tough, but do nothing to stop future terror attacks.
“For what reason will this ever stop?” the former Smiths frontman said after noting the attack, which struck an Ariana Grande concert and left 22 dead, occurred while he was celebrating his birthday.
He first turned his ire against British prime minister Theresa May.
“Theresa May says such attacks ‘will not break us’,” he began, “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.”
He then attacked London’s Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan, who has in the past said terror attacks are just “part” of living in a big city.
“Sadiq Khan says ‘London is united with Manchester’, but he does not condemn Islamic State — who have claimed responsibility for the bomb,” Morrissey said.
Not even Queen Elizabeth II escaped the anger of the indie rock singer.
“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,” he continued.
He then concluded his attacks on specific politicians by singling out Manchester mayor Andy Burnham for refusing to identify the terrorist’s ideology. “Manchester mayor Andy Burnham says the attack is the work of an ‘extremist’. An extreme what? An extreme rabbit?”
Morrissey concluded his strong statement with an attack on how the political correctness of Britain’s leaders doesn’t protect the people they’re supposed to serve.
“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,” he concluded.
Throughout his career, Morrissey has expressed opinions that have put him at odds with his left-leaning hipster fan base. In 2007, he argued immigration was causing the “disappearance” of British identity. Last year, he publicly supported Brexit as a “magnificent” decision for the United Kingdom.
