Billy Bragg Calls Out The Killers’ Brandon Flowers For Defending Morrissey

UK music legend Billy Bragg has called out The Killers’ Brandon Flowers for supporting Morrissey following a controversial video the Smiths singer shared to his website.

Taking to Facebook, Bragg noted that Morrissey shared a clip titled Nothing But Blue Skies for Stormzy...The Gallows for Morrissey to his website after the event that contained messages of “homophobia, racism and misogyny”.

“The nine minute clip lifted footage from the grime star’s Pyramid Stage performance while arguing that the British establishment are using him to promote multiculturalism at the expense of white culture,” Bragg said.

Bragg went on to say he expected to see “some angry responses to [Morrissey’s] endorsement of white supremacism”, but instead was met with articles based around an NME feature where The Killers’ Brandon Flowers said he’s “still a king”.

“I’m well aware from personal experience how easy it is for an artist to find something you’ve said in the context of a longer discourse turned into an inflammatory headline that doesn’t reflect your genuine views on the subject at hand, but I have to wonder if Flowers really understands the ramifications of Morrissey’s expressions of support for the far right For Britain Party?” Bragg said.

“A week has passed since the video appeared on Morrissey’s website and nothing has been written in the media to challenge his position. Today it was reported that research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a UK based anti-extremist organisation, reveals that the Great Replacement Theory is being promoted so effectively by the far right that it is entering mainstream political discourse.

“That Morrissey is helping to spread this idea - which inspired the Christchurch mosque murderer - is beyond doubt. Those who claim that this has no relevance to his stature as an artist should ask themselves if, by demanding that we separate the singer from the song, they too are helping to propagate this racist creed.”

Read Bragg’s full statement below.