GETTY IMAGES Morrissey declared the word ‘racist’ has become meaningless in a recent interview

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In an wide-ranging interview covering everything from the recent spate of violence in London to his views on animal rights, the former Smiths frontman hit out at the “modern Loony Left” and said people were quick to accuse others of being bigoted to avoid answering tough questions. The singer said it was far easier to “distract” by calling people a racist than to listen to or argue against their “enlightened” comments. Asked for his thoughts on a “question of racism” which has “always chased you through the press”, Morrissey said: “People accuse, yes, but they can’t penetrate or illuminate.” He went on to describe what he called a series of “slurs” published by music magazine NME which he said were designed to “turn my audience against me”.

But of course, we are all called racist now, and the word is actually meaningless. It’s just a way of changing the subject Morrissey

He added: “And as far as racism goes, the modern loony left seem to forget that Hitler was left wing! “But of course, we are all called racist now, and the word is actually meaningless. It’s just a way of changing the subject. “When someone calls you racist, what they are saying is ‘hmm, you actually have a point, and I don’t know how to answer it, so perhaps if I distract you by calling you a bigot we’ll both forget how enlightened your comment was’.” Morrissey, 58, also blasted London mayor Sadiq Kahn for his record on violent crime in the capital and claimed “we now live in the Age of Atrocity” because of the rise in acid attacks.

GETTY IMAGES Morrissey said 'we are all called racist now' by people who use the word to change the subject

In an interview with American music magazine Spin published on his new site Morrissey Central, the singer said: “London is second only to Bangladesh for acid attacks. “All of the attacks are non-white, and so they cannot be truthfully addressed by the British Government or the Met Police or the BBC because of political correctness. “What this means is that the perpetrator is considered to be as much of a victim as the actual victim.” Latest figures from the London Metropolitan Police show a sharp rise in acid attacks in recent years.

GETTY IMAGES Morrissey said London mayor Sadiq Kahn 'cannot talk properly'