Morrissey's band wears 'We Hate William and Kate' T-shirt at Argentina gig

London, Mar 7 (ANI): Morrissey's band performed in front of 15,000 fans in Argentina wearing "We Hate William and Kate" T-shirts, courting further controversy over his stance on the Falkland Islands.

The former Smiths frontman repeated his assertion that the disputed islands belonged to Argentina, not Britain, as tensions between the two countries have reached their highest level since the conflict, which was 30-years ago next month.

Five members of his band wore the T-shirts featuring a wedding photo of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the concert on Sunday night.

"We all know that the Malvinas [Falklands] are Argentina's," the Telegraph quoted him as saying.

He told the Argentines not to "blame" the British people "because it is the government that decides."

"The [British] government, the governments, never listen to the people, to their pain," he said.

The English singer, who counts Prime Minister David Cameron among his fans, is the latest in a line of celebrities to speak out on the issue ahead of the anniversary.

Roger Waters, the founder of British rock band Pink Floyd, backtracked on comments he allegedly made last month calling for Britain to return the Falkland Islands to Argentina.

His comments, reportedly made to Chilean television as he begun a music tour across Latin America, were seized upon in Argentina.

But on arrival in Buenos Aires on Monday night he softened his remarks claiming that he had been misquoted.

He wrote on his Facebook page that he had never stated categorically that the islands belonged to Argentina.

Chilean state channel TVN had put out the interview last Thursday in which the bass player was asked: "Falklands, Malvinas, what is your take? Is it British or is it Argentine?"

He reportedly replied: "I think it should be Argentine."

Last month, Hollywood actor Sean Penn stated that Britain's stance over the Falklands was "colonialist, ludicrous and archaic," calling the Duke of Cambridge's deployment to the disputed islands "unthinkable".

Britain accused Argentina of a "policy of confrontation" last week and summoned one of the country's diplomats after Buenos Aires threatened to blockade British imports.

Argentina's industry minister called for British imports to be banned, in the latest attempt to compel Britain to negotiate over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

Argentina has received the backing of Latin American countries for its claim of sovereignty over the remote, wind-lashed islands, which were occupied by Britain in 1833.

The dispute erupted into warfare April 2, 1981 when Argentine troops seized the islands, only to be routed in a 74-day war that claimed the lives of 649 Argentines and 255 Britons.

Diplomatic friction between Argentina and Britain has intensified since 2010, when the Government authorised oil exploration in the waters near the islands.

Prince William is halfway through a six-week stint on the islands as part of another "routine deployment" in his role as Flight Lieutenant Wales, an RAF search-and-rescue helicopter pilot. (ANI)