21/04/2024
In the current issue of the centre left to left wing magazine Tribune, the voice of the progressive faction within Labour, Shahla Omar praises the late great gay hero pop star George Michael, who was outspoken in his opposition to the Blair and George W Bush government's "War on Terror" twenty years ago. In a wide ranging essay, Shalhla, a Kurdish-British journalist, notes "in the days before the 2003 war, a usually media-averse Michael stepped up his television presence. In a slew of TV appearances, Michael drew links between the inflammatory role that the media, and Murdoch-owned publications in particular, had played in the aftermath of the Los Angeles incident, and how those same outlets were beating the drum for war the loudest. He also tied the push for war in Iraq to events in Palestine, where Israel responded to the Second Intifada with brutal bombardment." Shalah continues "Public approval for the war would continue to plummet even further; by February 2003, more than two-thirds of the public were opposed to the invasion. On 15 February, more than a million people took to the streets of London in a bid to prevent the war — the largest demonstration the UK had ever seen. There was also more musical protest from Michael: he re-recorded Don McLean’s Vietnam War protest song ‘The Grave’, performing the song on ‘Top of the Pops’ and the ‘Graham Norton Show’. He also duetted with the indomitable Ms Dynamite at the 2003 BRIT Awards on a version of his hit song ‘Faith’, the lyrics reworked". For the full article on George Michael's political interventions, have a look at the Tribune website at https://tribunemag.co.uk/2024/03/when-george-michael-came-for-blair.
