Morrissey Slams British Politicians After Manchester Attack
Morrissey criticized the rhetoric and responses of several British politicians following Monday’s terrorist attack outside an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. A 22-year-old British suicide bomber detonated a homemade explosive, killing 22 people and injuring 59 more.
Morrissey, a Manchester native, wrote on Facebook that he’d been celebrating his birthday in his hometown when news of the bombing broke. “The anger is monumental,” he said. “For what reason will this ever stop?”
However, the former Smiths singer quickly turned his vitriol towards Prime Minister Theresa May, writing, “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.”
Similarly, Morrissey criticized London Mayor Sadiq Khan for not condemning the so-called Islamic State – who have claimed responsibility for the attack – as well as Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham for saying the attack was the work of an extremist. “An extreme what?” Morrissey wrote. “An extreme rabbit?”
Morrissey also took on Queen Elizabeth II and the British press, lashing out at the latter for praising the Queen’s “strong words,” yet not critiquing her decision to carry on with a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
“In modern Britain everyone seems petrified to officially say what we all say in private,” Morrissey wrote. “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’s note is one of the sharpest to arise in the wake of the attacks. Other artists and entertainers that have expressed their sorrow and support include Late Late Show host James Corden, Katy Perry, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and Missy Elliot, as well as Morrissey’s fellow Manchester natives and local scene stalwarts Liam Gallagher, Johnny Marr and Peter Hook.
On Tuesday, British authorities identified the Manchester Arena bomber as Salman Abedi, a British man of Libyan descent. Police have also arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with the attack.