Morrissey: Chinese Are a 'Subspecies'

Another racism flap for Morrissey: The singer called the Chinese people a "subspecies" because of their treatment of animals, and he won't back off from the remark. "Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? Absolutely horrific," he says in an interview for the Guardian Weekend magazine. "You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a subspecies." In a statement made after the interview, Morrissey insists China's "animal abuse" is "indefensible."

"He must have known it would make waves, he's not daft," Morrissey's interviewer tells the Guardian. "In his view, if you treat an animal badly, you are less than human. I think that was his point." The rocker is no stranger to accusations of racism. Some of his more controversial past statements include theorizing that "black people and white people" will never "really get on or like each other," and railing against immigration. (Click here for another animal-rights-related flap he got himself into.)