Morrissey Accuses the BBC of Refusing to Play His New Song “Notre Dame”

According to Consequence, Morrissey has accused the BBC of blacklisting his new single because they “suspected [it] of independent thought.” The single in reference, “Notre Dame,” the former The Smiths frontman’s newest album Make-up is a Lie, is currently number six on the UK Singles Sales Charts. The track was originally released in March, but found a recent resurgence following its re-release on a deluxe vinyl. The track has peaked on the Singles Sales Chart, which tracks vinyl, CD and digital download purchases, but is not a part of the Official Singles Chart, which counts streams as well.

Morrissey posted a statement on his website, Morrissey Central, where he addressed the song’s chart positions. The singer titled the post “Diversity Is a Lie” and alleged that the BBC was intentionally censoring his song.

“The public wants to hear the song, but the BBC will not play it even though their stations are a public service duty-bound to reflect public taste,” he wrote. “Obviously not! If the song is suspected of independent thought – God forbid!, it is not played, therefore, under these circumstances, any station that pledges allegiance to diversity is lying. When people say ‘Diversity is our strength’ they fail to mention how their notion of ‘diversity’ entails very strict Third Reich regulations and punishments. I wonder why people can’t simply be honest about these things?”