Gig quote

[horrid_jon]

Hi,

New to the forum and Morrissey, and wondered if you all, like me, thought that he should be arrested and go to prison for this little stunt:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/arc...instincts.html

I mean, that's incitement to violence and threatening grevious bodily harm for sure, isn't it?

Who does he think he is?

I wonder how I go about reporting this a**hole to the police?

[deathfornoreason]

In my opinion, there's no incitement at all. He's just merely expressing an opinion, albiet in a slightly agressive way. I don't see "We'll get you" as a threat, I see it more as a light-hearted (OK, maybe not.... but I can't think of the correct phrase) way of summing up how he feels about the whole situation. There's certainly no threat of grevious bodily harm to be found at all in anything he said - too much is being read into this!

[horrid_jon]

In my opinion, there's no incitement at all. He's just merely expressing an opinion, albiet in a slightly agressive way. I don't see "We'll get you" as a threat, I see it more as a light-hearted (OK, maybe not.... but I can't think of the correct phrase) way of summing up how he feels about the whole situation. There's certainly no threat of grevious bodily harm to be found at all in anything he said - too much is being read into this!

Hmm, you don't see it as a threat. Yeah, I see your point.

He was probably just cut off half-way through. He probably meant to say "We'll get you an ice cream" or "We'll get you through all these problems you are having with the terrorists who threaten you on a nearly daily basis".

Yeah, that must be it.

Come on, man! How many ways can you interpret "We'll get you" after identifying a specific group of people?

It was a threat, and it was incitement to violence.

He should be locked up.

[vivaissy]

jon, you are right, you are horrid.

morrissey is free to express is (right) opinion and thats that.

fuck the pigs, they do naff-all anyway.

[comrade]

I wonder how I go about reporting this a**hole to the police?

Dial 999, go to the police station...

[horrid_jon]

jon, you are right, you are horrid.

morrissey is free to express is (right) opinion and thats that.

fuck the pigs, they do naff-all anyway.

Hi vivaissy,

If somebody very famous, at a public gathering of their fans, said that they "were going to get you", how would you feel about that?

I''m genuinely curious. Would you think they were "horrid"?

Morrissey's comments were irresponsible and (yes!) illegal.

He is in my opinion a prize idiot, as are people who defend that comment, regardless of their views of animal testing.

I really want to discuss this logically with you - my basic point is that threatening people in public is and should be illegal. Don't you agree?

[deathfornoreason]

It was a threat, and it was incitement to violence.

If you've heard or read anything else Morrissey has expressed about animal rights - which you clearly haven't - this is just Morrissey's eccentric way of expressing his opinion. Sure, he feels incredibly angry about the situation, and he has every right to be, but - coupled with other quotes of a similar ilk - there's certainly know malice involved. Beside's, how exactly is "We'll get you" and incitement of violence?

Have you genuinely nothing better to do than report pop stars to the police?

[horrid_jon]

Dial 999, go to the police station...

Thanks, dude. Appreciate the tip.

You know, the great thing is, if you report a crime, the police are duty-bound to investigate it.

Maybe I will make a few phone calls. It's not like their weren't any witnesses to this idiot's comments.

[horrid_jon]

If you've heard or read anything else Morrissey has expressed about animal rights - which you clearly haven't - this is just Morrissey's eccentric way of expressing his opinion. Sure, he feels incredibly angry about the situation, and he has every right to be, but - coupled with other quotes of a similar ilk - there's certainly know malice involved. Beside's, how exactly is "We'll get you" and incitement of violence?

Have you genuinely nothing better to do than report pop stars to the police?

You don't seem to understand.

I couldn't care less about his views on animal testing. THEY ARE IRRELEVANT TO MY POINT.

Everybody's got the right to their views, JUST AS EVERYBODY HAS THE RIGHT NOT TO BE INTIMIDATED OR THREATENED.

I'm not trolling here, please understand me. The guy's an irresponsible idiot, and he deserves to be shown that his outbursts have repurcussions.

YOU
"Just his eccentric way of expressing his opinion..."

HIM
"We'll get you"

You, my friend, have issues.

[SouthpawGlamour]

Yes, he is sailing close to the wind legally. Much as I love Moz, we must remember he is a rich pop star that can afford to live in a fantasy world. Moz doesn't know jack about the real world, thats partly why we love him. Moz dreams this stuff up whilst sitting in the Dorchester drinking tea. ALL pop stars should keep their mouths shut about serious matters, leave that to the experts. I doubt Moz wants anyone hurt, but he must learn to keep it buttoned.

[horrid_jon]

Yes, he is sailing close to the wind legally. Much as I love Moz, we must remember he is a rich pop star that can afford to live in a fantasy world. Moz doesn't know jack about the real world, thats partly why we love him. Moz dreams this stuff up whilst sitting in the Dorchester drinking tea. ALL pop stars should keep their mouths shut about serious matters, leave that to the experts. I doubt Moz wants anyone hurt, but he must learn to keep it buttoned.

Thank you. I respect that a lot, especially from a fan.

[Danny]

Yes, he is sailing close to the wind legally. Much as I love Moz, we must remember he is a rich pop star that can afford to live in a fantasy world. Moz doesn't know jack about the real world, thats partly why we love him. Moz dreams this stuff up whilst sitting in the Dorchester drinking tea. ALL pop stars should keep their mouths shut about serious matters, leave that to the experts. I doubt Moz wants anyone hurt, but he must learn to keep it buttoned.

So does that mean we all must keep our mouths shut on any issues as we are not "experts"?

[deathfornoreason]

Fair enough, I agree that what he said was ill-advised, but as I've said before, he's said enough similar things before for this "We'll get you" quote to be rendered meaningless. While you're at it, inform the police of his distaste that Mrs Thatcher wasn't killed in an IRA bombing incident (something along the lines of "I'm sorry they didn't finish the job"... not too sure...), or when he said he wished George Bush dead in 2004. He says many things that are a bit close to the bone, and can be interpreted as threatening, but I genuinely believe that this is just his way of expressing his opinion.

His fanbase are responsible and intelligent enough not to follow anything and everything Morrissey says. It's been 3 weeks since the incident, and nothing's come of it since. I admit, it was a stupid thing to say, but I genuinely believe it's not a threat, and to waste police time of this is absolutely ludicrous in my opinion.

[El Manzo]

Thanks, dude. Appreciate the tip.

You know, the great thing is, if you report a crime, the police are duty-bound to investigate it.

Maybe I will make a few phone calls. It's not like their weren't any witnesses to this idiot's comments.

Right, and while you are at it don't forget to mention the legendary "Bring me the head of Elton John".

[deathfornoreason]

Right, and while you are at it don't forget to mention the legendary "Bring me the head of Elton John".

Exactly - Morrissey's said many things of this ilk, suggesting to me that it wasn't a genuine threat.

[horrid_jon]

Fair enough, I agree that what he said was ill-advised, but as I've said before, he's said enough similar things before for this "We'll get you" quote to be rendered meaningless. While you're at it, inform the police of his distaste that Mrs Thatcher wasn't killed in an IRA bombing incident (something along the lines of "I'm sorry they didn't finish the job"... not too sure...), or when he said he wished George Bush dead in 2004. He says many things that are a bit close to the bone, and can be interpreted as threatening, but I genuinely believe that this is just his way of expressing his opinion.

His fanbase are responsible and intelligent enough not to follow anything and everything Morrissey says. It's been 3 weeks since the incident, and nothing's come of it since. I admit, it was a stupid thing to say, but I genuinely believe it's not a threat, and to waste police time of this is absolutely ludicrous in my opinion.

Hi deathfornoreason,

Honestly I have no intention of reporting this to the police, and I would probably get laughed at if I did, and I realise that.

Before I saw this article, I didn't know much about Morrissey.

I actually read about his comments in the Guardian, and it was the columnist's question "Why isn't he in prison?".

It just made me so angry though, that in this day and age when violence is a part of everyone's life, and terrorism is all we hear about in the news, to hear someone advocating terrorism as part of their gig. I know you think he meant it lightheartedly, and whatever, but as an outside observer as opposed to a fan like yourself, my reaction was "Jail the guy. Do it now. How dare he!!", and not "Ahh, well, he's said worse before, that's just him, he's such a sensitive soul."

I just think he should at least be spoken to by the police: maybe it'll give him a shock that'll make him think twice in future.

"We'll get you" is an extremely dangerous thing to say. I appreciate that he probably didn't realise the implications when he said it, and that's probably why he *isn't* in trouble.

[horrid_jon]

Right, and while you are at it don't forget to mention the legendary "Bring me the head of Elton John".

Please.

That's obviously a joke.

"We'll get you" targetted specifically at someone who represents the opposite of your political beliefs and who has been targetted by terrorists before, blatantly isn't.

If it was irony, doesn't it follow that he must be FOR animal testing? And he isn't, so it wasn't a joke.

[deathfornoreason]

I agree it wasn't a joke, but I also agree that there was no malicious intent behind the words he spoke. A lot of things Morrissey says are, as you say, clearly not thought through, but that's one of the reasons why we love him here. He's one of the few people in pop music willing to speak his mind, regardless of the consequences, something which can only be admired in my opinion. Whether you agree with what he says or not - I, for example, agree with his views on animal vivisection, but possibly think the "We'll get you" quote was ill judged - but you have to commend him for having the gall to say it, surely?

[Sister]

Are you for real?

[horrid_jon]

The article, for some context:

"Why has Morrissey not been arrested for inciting terrorism? Between singing a couple of his chirpy little songs in Oxford last week, he warned workers at a new animal research centre.

"'Make no mistake, ' he announced, 'for anyone working in the labs, we are going to get you.' That seems pretty clear. And the warning is not idle: builders have faced such intimidation they turn up in masks. There is now an exclusion zone around the site.

"One of Charles Clarke's last acts as home secretary was to write me a long letter. I had complained here that ministers were not doing enough to support those engaged in medical research. He responded with a list of his measures, including the prosecution of animal rights terrorists. Now the Home Office is finally clamping down on Muslim "preachers of hate", how about musical preachers of disharmony? It is true that the mood music is hardly enhanced by the scientist Colin Blakemore, saying he may need to experiment on large apes; that is known in the trade as a wind-up.

"But it hardly excuses Morrissey. When he warbled "meat is murder", he had a point; but if he is saying, as he now seems to be, that vivisectionistis "should be vivisected upon", shouldn't he be doing porridge?"