Morrissey criticises 'devious' NME magazine

Morrissey has hit out at NME and insisted he is not a racist following the storm over his views on immigration.

Morrissey has hit out at NME and insisted he is not a racist following the storm over his views on immigration.

The former Smiths star is suing the music publication after it failed to apologise for an article focusing on his comments on the issue.

NME criticised Morrissey, 48, for allegedly telling a reporter that Britain had lost its identity and that you could not hear a "British accent" in Knightsbridge.

Today the singer's statement, posted on a fan website, said: "I believe they (NME) have deliberately tried to characterise me as a racist in a recent interview I gave them in order to boost their dwindling circulation.

"I abhor racism and oppression or cruelty of any kind and will not let this pass without being absolutely clear and emphatic with regard to what my position is.

"Racism is beyond common-sense and I believe it has no place in our society."

He described the magazine staff as "devious, truculent and unreliable" and accused them of stitching him up because he had twice declined their 'Godlike Genius' award.

He laid into NME, saying: "Deep in the magazine's empirical history, the New Musical Express was a propelling force that answered to no one".

He said it was now a magazine "with no insides" and was playing "the editorial naughtiness game".

Morrissey said: "This, regrettably, is what has taken place with this most recent interview, which, it need hardly be said, bears no relation in print to the fleshly conversation that took place."

He accuses the writer Tim Jonze of "talking behind his hands in an endless fidget" and added: "Tim accepted every answer I gave him with a schoolgirl giggle, and repeatedly asked me if I was shocked at how little he actually knew about music."

Morrissey was quoted apparently criticising current levels of immigration after being asked if he would ever consider moving back to the UK.

"With the issue of immigration, it's very difficult because, although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears," he said.

"If you walk through Knightsbridge on any bland day of the week you won't hear an English accent. You'll hear every accent under the sun apart from the British accent."

Jonze has hit back over the writ, saying in The Guardian newspaper: "How can Morrissey possibly claim a stitch-up when the interview is printed in Q&A form, his quotes are recorded on tape and he wasn't even asked about immigration in the first place?"

An NME spokesman said: "We can confirm we have received two writs from Morrissey's legal representatives pertaining to NME and its editor Conor McNicholas.

"NME takes this matter - and the issues it highlights - extremely seriously and we are currently in discussion with our own legal representatives. We will not be commenting further at this time."

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