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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Morrissey to sue NME over story | Morrissey to sue NME over story |
| (1 day later) | |
| Morrissey is to sue the NME after it failed to apologise for an article focusing on his views on immigration. | Morrissey is to sue the NME after it failed to apologise for an article focusing on his views on immigration. |
| The magazine criticised the former Smiths star for allegedly telling a reporter Britain had lost its identity due to high levels of immigration. | The magazine criticised the former Smiths star for allegedly telling a reporter Britain had lost its identity due to high levels of immigration. |
| An NME spokesman confirmed they have received two writs for the magazine and its editor Conor McNicholas. | |
| "NME takes the matter extremely seriously and we are in discussion with our legal representatives," he added. | |
| A deadline to print the retraction passed at 1300GMT on Thursday. | |
| In a statement, the singer's lawyers said: "Their only response to this deadline was to say that they 'do not have time to respond to the allegations.'" | |
| Identity | Identity |
| The magazine quoted Morrissey allegedly saying: "Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears. So the price is enormous. | The magazine quoted Morrissey allegedly saying: "Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears. So the price is enormous. |
| "If you travel to Germany, it's still absolutely Germany. If you travel to Sweden, it still has a Swedish identity. | "If you travel to Germany, it's still absolutely Germany. If you travel to Sweden, it still has a Swedish identity. |
| "But travel to England and you have no idea where you are," the singer is reported to have said. | "But travel to England and you have no idea where you are," the singer is reported to have said. |
| The 48-year-old, who has spent the last decade in Rome and Los Angeles, was apparently responding to a question about whether he would return to live in the UK. | The 48-year-old, who has spent the last decade in Rome and Los Angeles, was apparently responding to a question about whether he would return to live in the UK. |
| In a follow-up interview concerning his comments, the NME reported that Morrissey had said: "It could be construed that the reason I wouldn't wish to live in England is the immigration explosion. And that's not true at all." | In a follow-up interview concerning his comments, the NME reported that Morrissey had said: "It could be construed that the reason I wouldn't wish to live in England is the immigration explosion. And that's not true at all." |
| "There are other reasons why I would find England very difficult, such as the expense and the pressure," he said. | "There are other reasons why I would find England very difficult, such as the expense and the pressure," he said. |
| He is alleged to have added that he did not think his comments were inflammatory, but were "a statement of fact". | He is alleged to have added that he did not think his comments were inflammatory, but were "a statement of fact". |
| The singer's manager accused the NME of "character assassination" on the singer's fan website, True To You. | The singer's manager accused the NME of "character assassination" on the singer's fan website, True To You. |
| Tim Jonze, the freelance journalist who interviewed Morrissey, told the BBC that he didn't approve of the singer's comments and had found them "offensive". | Tim Jonze, the freelance journalist who interviewed Morrissey, told the BBC that he didn't approve of the singer's comments and had found them "offensive". |
| He said he had asked for his name to be removed from the article because it had been rewritten. | He said he had asked for his name to be removed from the article because it had been rewritten. |
| "I didn't want my name on something I hadn't written, even if some of it might have been similar to what I wrote originally," he said. | "I didn't want my name on something I hadn't written, even if some of it might have been similar to what I wrote originally," he said. |