A couple of months ago Morrissey spoke about a defamation lawsuit he filed against a troll who has been operating online for about ten years. In a message published yesterday on Morrissey Central, the singer's official website, it is explained that there are as many as nine people impersonating him on behalf of various political groups and that one of them is linked to an unidentified former member of the Smiths
«Eighteen months ago» we read on the site, the company «Web Sheriff contacted Merck Mercuriadis, Morrissey's former manager, informing him that he had discovered “the worst case of online identity theft” ever seen: nine individuals posing as Morrissey operating on behalf of various political groups. Through statements published online, they invited Morrissey's “fans” to actively join factions and movements supporting various political ideas.”
Situations of this kind are not unusual and have involved many musicians inadvertently, «but the concentration of fake Morrisseys was particularly high. Two of the nine individuals operated from Scotland, one of them was already known to Morrissey, at least by name, due to his connection with a US site dedicated to the singer and generally unfavorable towards him. This person allegedly published approximately 1800 messages online. Another name was linked to a former member of the Smiths. The comments posted by these individuals have seriously damaged Morrissey's image and reputation.”
«Morrissey has never participated in forums, has never owned a smartphone, has never written on Facebook, X, Instagram or TikTok and has never joined any political party. Its communication is limited to the M-central site, which has always been managed from England.”
On the site we read that to take legal action against the nine individuals, two different law firms and economic resources would be needed which «go beyond Morrissey's possibilities. The next steps are being evaluated.”
