Social media can be a very toxic place. What did we do without the platforms that allow us to interact with one another, but also allow us the unfortunate freedom to make threats toward others? The world should be better.
Morrissey, the music icon who was once the frontman of the Smiths but has had a long and successful solo career since, recently had a death threat ahead of a show in Ottawa, Canada. The performance took place at CityFolk Festival, and Morrissey did go on stage, but for only a short set.
We won't get into what the social media handle was on the person making the threat, or what they said, but the poster was exceedingly clear in what they planned to do. The person was arrested, released on $5,000 bail, and confined to their father's home near Washington, DC.
Morrissey faces a death threat and Canada tells Kneecap "no"
It isn't clear whether the person was Canadian or American, but the threat did cause Morrissey to cancel shows in Boston and at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut. It is unclear if he will continue his current run of American dates.
In other music news related to Canada, Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap has been denied entry into Canada ahead of their tour of the country in October.
Vince Gasparro, a Minister of Parliament and parliamentary secretary for combating crime, said Kneecap “amplified political violence and publicly displayed support for organizations designated as terrorist groups in Canada, such as Hezbollah and Hamas. These are not expressions of art or legitimate political critique; they are dangerous endorsements of violence and hate.”
Kneecap has promised to seek legal action against Gasparro for what the trio sees as untrue statements. To be fair, Kneecap hasn't so much directly endorsed Hamas and Hezbollah, but spoken out against how they see Israel as handling the situation in Gaza.
This could be seen as a lack of freedom of speech for Kneecap, and in a way, it is, but it gets complicated. No one is guaranteed entry into a nation that is not their own, so Canada has the right to say no to Kneecap. The government should do it for the right reasons, however.