Title : Trump hit at May for criticising his far-right retweets
link : Trump hit at May for criticising his far-right retweets
Trump hit at May for criticising his far-right retweets
- PM slammed Trump for retweeting anti-Muslim videos posted by Britain First
- Said the US President was 'wrong' to share three videos from the far right group
- But Mr Trump hit back that Mrs May should focus on Islamic terrorism in the UK
- Other users pointed out the president tagged the wrong Theresa in his message
- Growing calls for president's State Visit invite to be withdrawn amid row
Theresa May hit back at Donald Trump's jibe that she is not tackling terrorism today as an extraordinary spat threatened to blow the Special Relationship apart.
Downing Street dismissed the claim as the two leaders crossed swords over the US president's retweets of anti-Muslim videos posted by a far-right group.
Mrs May has branded Mr Trump's decision to share the material 'wrong', but he lashed out at her last night demanding she focus on 'Islamic terrorism taking place in the UK'. In response, the PM's spokesman said this morning that she was tackling extremism 'head on'.
Mr Trump's tweets drew cold fury from across the political spectrum in the UK, with fresh calls for his State Visit invite - extended by Mrs May on behalf of the Queen in January - to be withdrawn.
Lib Dem leader Vince Cable labelled Mr Trump an 'evil racist', while shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said he was trying to 'humiliate and belittle' the PM.
Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the comments will be seen as a 'betrayal' of the special relationship and called for his visit to be cancelled.
As Cabinet ministers joined the condemnation, Home Secretary Amber Rudd appeared to hint that the state visit will not be happening any time soon, stressing that 'arrangements have yet to be made'. She also suggested Mr Trump should give up Twitter.
Work and Pensions Secretary David Gauke insisted Mrs May had been right to call out Mr Trump's behaviour. 'If that has upset Donald Trump then so be it,' he said.
Winston Churchill's grandson Sir Nicholas Soames, a Tory MP, said the US president 'is ignorant' and 'hasn't a clue'.
Mrs May, pictured on a visit to Jordan today, is set to be grilled over the fiery diplomatic spat when she faces questions from journalists later
Mrs May slammed Donald Trump (pictured earlier this month) yesterday after he retweeted anti-Muslim videos posted by the leader of the far right Britain First
Mr Trump has fired back at the PM by saying she should concentrate on 'Radical Islamic Terrorism taking place in the UK' and not his Twitter activity. Twitter users were also quick to point out that the president had tagged the wrong Theresa in his message
He posted the same message a few moments later with the correct Twitter handle. For a few minutes he left the original tweet up
The first video President Trump posted depicted 'Muslim migrant' according to Jayda Fransen, beating up a 'Dutch boy on crutches'
Mrs May, who is on a trip to the Middle East is due to give a speech and take questions from journalists later. But asked about his barb this morning, the PM's spokesman said: 'The overwhelming majority of Muslims in this country are law abiding people abhor extremism in all its forms.
'The Prime Minister has been clear that where extremism does exist it should be tackled head on.
'We are working hard to do that both at home and internationally, including with our US partners in Iraq and Syria.'
Mrs May's spokesman said Britain had a strong and constructive relationship 'with the United States and the US President'.
The first video retweeted by Mr Trump yesterday claimed to show a 'Muslim migrant' beating up a Dutch boy on crutches. Dutch authorities have insisted the alleged migrant was born and raised in the country and his religion is unknown.
Mr Trump also retweeted a video of a Muslim man 'destroy(ing) a statue of Virgin Mary', and another where Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen - who has previously been convicted of religiously aggravated harassment - to wrote: 'Islamist mob pushed teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!' The provenance of the footage is unknown.
Amid an angry backlash, the PM's official spokesman said Britain First sought to divide communities through its use of 'hateful narratives which peddle lies and stoke tensions'.
'It is wrong for the president to have done this,' the spokesman said.
The spokesman added: 'British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far-right which is the antithesis of the values that this country represents - decency tolerance and respect.'
Despite the rebuke, Mrs May's spokesman made clear that the controversial invitation for the president to make a state visit to the UK, made when Theresa May met Mr Trump in Washington in January, still stood.
'The invitation for a state visit has been extended and accepted. Further details will be announced in due course,' the spokesman said.
Speaker John Bercow granted an urgent question on Mr Trump's tweets in the Commons today - saying he believed MPs wanted a chance to voice support for 'victims of racism and bigotry and denounce their purveyors'
Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the House the Government wold not 'tolerate' groups that spread hate
But an apparently infuriated Mr Trump waded back in on Twitter overnight, saying Mrs May should be focusing on potential security threats instead of criticising him.
He wrote: 'Theresa @theresamay, don't focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!'
Other users were quick to point out that the president had tagged the wrong Theresa in his message.
He posted the same message a few moments later with the correct Twitter handle.
Speaker John Bercow granted an urgent question on Mr Trump's tweets in the Commons today - saying he believed MPs wanted a chance to voice support for 'victims of racism and bigotry and denounce their purveyors'.
Mr Bercow has already made clear he would block the President from getting the honour of addressing both Houses of Parliament if he comes to the UK.
Mrs Rudd told the House the Government wold not 'tolerate' groups that spread hate.
'President Donald Trump was wrong to retweet videos posted by Britain First,' she said.
Ms Rudd said the relationship between Britain and America, including intelligence sharing on terror threats, remained 'vital'.
She said: 'It has undoubtedly saved British lives. That is the bigger picture and I would urge people to remember that.'
When Tory backbencher Peter Bone asked if she would advise the US president to delete his Twitter account, Mrs Rudd said: 'I'm sure many of us might share his view.'
She also repeatedly stressed that the government had 'not yet made the arrangements' for Mr Trump's visit - in what appeared to be a hint that it will not happen any time soon.
Labour veteran Paul Flynn said Mr Trump
Sajid Javid, who is the son of a bus driver of Pakistani descent and now serves in the Cabinet as local government secretary, tore into the tweet online.
He wrote: 'So POTUS has endorsed the views of a vile, hate-filled racist organisation that hates me and people like me.
'He is wrong and I refuse to let it go and say nothing.'
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also joined in the condemnation, writing on Twitter: 'Britain First is a divisive, hateful group whose views are not in line with our values.
'UK has a proud history as an open, tolerant society & hate speech has no place here.'
Mr Khan said: 'President Trump yesterday used Twitter to promote a vile, extremist group that exists solely to sow division and hatred in our country.
'Many Brits who love America and Americans will see this as a betrayal of the special relationship between our two countries.
'It beggars belief that the President of our closest ally doesn't see that his support of this extremist group actively undermines the values of tolerance and diversity that makes Britain great.'
He added: 'As the Mayor if this great diverse city, I have previously called on Theresa May to cancel he ill judged offer of a state visit to President Trump.
'After this latest incident, it is increasingly clear that any official visit at all from President Trump to Britain would not be welcomed.'
He urged the PM to use her influence to urge Mr Trump to delete his tweets and issue an apology.
The Mayor of London renewed his call to cancel the President's planned state visit to Britain following his latest Twitter outburst
The Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid was among the first of a string of cabinet ministers to condemn Donald Trump's post as 'wrong'
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Britain First is 'divisive and hateful' as he joined those condemning the President's tweet on the social media site
Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt also condemned Donald Trump's tweet branding it 'alarming and despairing'
Asked about Mr Trump's comments about the Prime Minister, Ms Greening told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'In the end, our relationship with the United States has a longevity to it that will succeed long after presidents come and go.
'I don't agree with the tweet President Trump has made, but I have to say I also believe it should not distract from the agenda we have domestically and I don't believe it should detract from the close relationship the UK has had for many, many years and will go on to have with America and the American people.'
Furious MPs insisted Mr Trump was 'not welcome here' following the Twitter posts but No 10 said his invite to come to Britain on a state visit still stands.
Brendan Cox, widower of murdered MP Jo, accused him of 'spreading hatred'.
Labour MP Mary Creagh said Mr Trump was 'not welcome here', while Brendan Cox, whose politician wife Jo was killed during the EU referendum campaign last year, accused him of 'spreading hatred'
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joined calls for the government to take a tough stance on Mr Trump's retweets
Labour politician Mrs Cox was stabbed and shot outside her constituency office in Birstall, West Yorkshire, in June 2016 by a man who shouted 'Britain First'.
During a debate in the Commons, Labour MP Stephen Doughty condemned Mr Trump as 'either racist, incompetent or unthinking or all three'.
Recalling the murder of Cox – and standing a few rows in front of the shield placed in the Commons in her memory – Mr Doughty said: 'We must all make a stand against hate, from wherever it comes, or we will slip into the darkness.'
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable described Mr Trump as an 'evil racist'.
Writing on Twitter, Sir Vince said: 'New Donald Trump insult to Theresa May. She must end humiliating dependence of Brexit Britain on goodwill of evil racist. Cancel visit.'
Shadow foreign secretary Mrs Thornberry said Mr Trump had chosen to 'humiliate and belittle' Mrs May, and his actions underlined her poor judgement in pushing for an early state visit.
JO COX MURDERED BY NAZI OBSESSED KILLER WHO SHOUTED 'BRITAIN FIRST'
The late Labour MP Jo Cox, a mother of two young children, was brutally murdered by Nazi obsessed Thomas Mair who shouted 'Britain First' as he stabbed her (file pic)
Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist who shouted 'Britain First' as he brutally shot and stabbed her to death.
Mrs Cox, a mother of two young children, was on her way to hold a constituency surgery when she was confronted by Thomas Mair one morning in June last year.
Her killer, a Nazi-obsessed loner, shouted 'Britain First, this is for Britain, Britain will always come first' as he rained down blows on 41-year-old Mrs Cox.
Mair, 54, spent hours looking up information on the Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist organisations before brutally attacking the Labour MP.
He lay in wait outside Birstall Library for her to arrive for her weekly surgery before repeatedly stabbing her with a 7in dagger and firing a .22 rimfire rifle.
When arrested, the unemployed gardener told police, 'I am a political activist'.
Britain First is a far right organisation set up on 2011 a group of ex members of the British National Party (BNP).
Its members have tried to stoke race tensions by launching so-called Christian patrols, which see its members walk through Britain's streets carrying giant crosses and confronting members of the public.
Several of its leading members have been convicted of harassment after they hurled abuse at women wearing hijabs and for launching 'mosque invasions'.
There have been calls for the group to be listed as a terror organisation.
Britain First previously denied any involvement in the attack on Mrs Cox, and there is no suggestion that Mair was influenced by or in any way involved with the group.
The row casts fresh doubt on the prospects for Mr Trump's state visit, which has been repeatedly pushed back since Mrs May extended the invite in January.
There have been claims Mr Trump has been dragging his heels on agreeing a date because he does not want to face protests - after more than 1.8million people signed a petition demanding the visit be cancelled.
Brendan Cox, the husband of Mrs Cox, who was killed during the EU referendum campaign last year, said: 'Trump has legitimised the far right in his own country, now he's trying to do it in ours.
'Spreading hatred has consequences and the President should be ashamed of himself.'
Labour MP Mary Creagh posted: 'Jo Cox's killer shouted 'Britain First'. (Trump) retweeting this hate criminal demeans his office. He is not welcome here.'
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also urged Mrs May to take a tough stance against the President.
'I hope our Government will condemn far-right retweets by Donald Trump. They are abhorrent, dangerous and a threat to our society,' he said.
Labour MP Chuka Umunna told Sky News: 'I don't think the president of the United States, a president who has not only promoted bigotry, misogyny and racism in his own country, I don't think he is welcome here.
'I think the invite that has been made to him to come to our country in early 2018 should be withdrawn.
'What we see here is the president retweeting and promoting the propaganda of a far right racist bigoted group members of which have been arrested and convicted for promoting hatred in this country.
'I am absolutely astounded that a man – any person – in his position holding the office that he does should be promoting the propaganda of a far right British group.'
A tweet from Fransen's account, which is verified by Twitter, appeared to celebrate the retweets by Mr Trump.
It said: 'THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DONALD TRUMP, HAS RETWEETED THREE OF DEPUTY LEADER JAYDA FRANSEN'S TWITTER VIDEOS! DONALD TRUMP HIMSELF HAS RETWEETED THESE VIDEOS AND HAS AROUND 44 MILLION FOLLOWERS! GOD BLESS YOU TRUMP! GOD BLESS AMERICA!'
Britain First leader Paul Golding said: 'We've never spoken to him (Trump) before. But the fact he's shared his alarm at Jayda's arrest means we're going to reach out to him. Jayda is recording a video message directly to him later.
The third video President Trump retweeted shows an 'Islamist mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!'
The second video shows a 'Muslim man' speaking to the camera and then bashing a statue of Virgin Mary on the ground, shattering her
'We're looking forward to all the new followers and support we'll get from Trump's publicity.'
Last year, Ms Fransen was found guilty of religiously aggravated harassment after accosting a Muslim woman.
The charge stemmed from a January 2016 incident in which Fransen, wearing a political uniform and during a so-called 'Christian patrol,' accosted a Muslim woman named Sumayyah Sharpe in Luton, England.
Ms Fransen admitted that she told Sharpe, who was wearing hijab, that Muslim men force women to cover up to avoid rape 'because they cannot control their sexual urges.'
'That's why they are coming into my country raping women across the continent,' Fransen told Sharpe, according to the Independent. Ms Sharpe was in front of her four children at the time.
Ms Fransen, and Britain First leader Paul Golding, 35, also of Penge, are due to appear at Folkestone Magistrates' Court today for a pre-trial review over allegations of religiously aggravated abuse in Canterbury and Ramsgate, Kent.
A trial is scheduled for January 29, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
She will also appear in court in Northern Ireland in December charged with using threatening and abusive language in connection with a speech she made at an anti-terrorism demonstration in Belfast on August 6.
Britain First previously denied any involvement in the attack on Mrs Cox, and there is no suggestion that Mair was influenced by or in any way involved with the group.
The videos were posted by Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First (pictured)
Labour MP and Home Affairs Committee chair Yvette Cooper said the government 'must condemn' the retweets by Mr Trump
The far-right leader who berates Muslims on the street, has already been convicted of hate crime and is DELIGHTED Trump's retweeted her
- Jayda Fransen is awaiting trial on two separate charges of harassment and abuse
- Donald Trump shared three videos on his personal account to his 44m followers
- The far-right leader is deputy of Britain First - a far-right, anti-immigration party
- She was fined nearly £2,000 for religiously aggravated harassment of a woman
Deputy leader of Britain First, Jayda Fransen arrives at Luton Magistrates Court last year
Donald Trump today shared three videos posted by the deputy leader of far-right group Britain First in another anti-Muslim tirade.
Jayda Fransen, whose Twitter feed is littered with videos and pictures condemning Islam, is sitting on a charge of using threatening and abusive language at a rally in Belfast.
She is also expected to appear on religiously aggravated harassment charges next month.
Fransen is renowned for peddling her party's anti-Muslim agenda, and she was clearly delighted Trump decided to share her views.
Using capital letters, and talking about herself in the third person, she tweeted: 'The President of the United States Donald Trump has retweeted three of deputy leader Jayda Fransen's Twitter videos.
'Donald Trump himself has retweeted these videos and has around 44million followers. God bless you, Trump. God bless America. OCS.'
OCS is an acronym used by the party which stands for Onwards Christian Soldiers.
Britain First Leader Paul Golding and others including Deputy Leader Jayda Fransen during far-right demonstration in London in April
Fransen, formerly of the English Defence League, regularly marches through cities and towns in the UK holding Christian crosses aloft, which provokes angry reactions from Muslim members of the community.
During one of Britain First's so-called Christian Patrols in Luton back in November 2016, Fransen was convicted of religiously aggravated harassment after she harassed a Muslim mother-of-four because she was wearing a hijab.
She was fined almost £2,000 as the court heard she told a mother-of-four that Muslim men force women to cover up to avoid being raped 'because they cannot control their sexual urges', adding 'that's why they are coming into my country raping women across the continent'.
Jayda Fransen was born in London in 1986 and claims to have practised and studied law for many years before founding a recruitment consultancy
Fransen denied all charges, accusing the courts of being 'absurd', and engaging in 'a really clear display of Islamic appeasement'.
'The reason I said them was because from everything I have studied, I understand them to be true,' Fransen said in her defence.
She is deputy to Paul Golding, who was spared jail earlier this month after being found guilty of assault.
He is also facing three charges of religiously aggravated harassment in relation to the trial of a gang of men who raped a teenager above a Ramsgate takeaway.
Golding is set for a three day trial next month, alongside Fransen.
Jayda Fransen was born in London in 1986 and claims to have practised and studied law for many years before founding a recruitment consultancy.
In 2014, she was elected deputy leader of Britain First and two years later she took temporary control over the party when Golding was sentenced to eight weeks in prison for breaching a court order banning him from entering a mosque or encouraging others to do so in England and Wales.
The party's mission statement is issued on its website, and it reads: 'Britain First is a patriotic political party and street movement that opposes and fights the many injustices that are routinely inflicted on the British people.
Britain First's Paul Golding and Jayda Fransenin pose up next to a sign for Schengen
'Our policies are pro-British, our approach is no-nonsense and our principles are not open to compromise.
'We love our people, our nation, our heritage and culture and will defend them at all times and no matter what odds we face.
'The Britain First movement is not just a normal political group, we are a patriotic resistance and 'frontline' for our long suffering people.'
Fransen, 31, from Penge, south east London, is facing the court action in Northern Ireland over a speech she made at an anti-terrorism demonstration in the city on August 6.
She was arrested by Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers on Saturday in Bromley, south east London and taken to Belfast for questioning.
She has been bailed to appear at Belfast Magistrates' Court on December 14.
Describing her arrest, she said: 'I was escorted in a police van with four officers up to Liverpool to catch a ferry. Bearing in mind, I was arrested at quarter to four, our ferry was 10.30 at night and it arrived here in Belfast at 6.30 this morning so it's been quite a jaunt.'
She said police questioned her for around three to four hours, accusing her of being 'anti-Islamic', and released her after she was charged.
'This all relates to a speech that I gave at an event over here where I was invited as a guest speaker, the Northern Ireland Against Terrorism on the 6 August,' she added.
Britain First leader Paul Golding broke the news to his supporters in a Twitter video on Saturday.
He said: 'A large group of plain clothes police detectives from Belfast of all places jumped out of nowhere and have arrested Jayda.
'What have they arrested her for? Both of us addressed, made a speech, at a public demonstration outside Belfast City Hall all the way back in August.
'The detective I spoke to told me she is being flown to Belfast tonight to be interrogated.
'It's absolutely ridiculous - this is non-stop with me and Jayda, non-bloody stop.'
He said his colleague had been arrested for 'no bloody reason'.
Ms Fransen and Mr Golding were in Belfast on August 6 for a demonstration by around 50 people calling themselves Northern Ireland Against Terrorism, which took place on the same day as a republican march organised by the Anti-Internment League to mark the use of detention without trial by the British Army during the height of the Troubles in 1971.
Trump shared three videos posted by Fransen.
The first was a clip supposedly showing a Muslim migrant beating up a Dutch boy on crutches.
Seconds later, retweeted a video showing what she claims to be a Muslim man destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary.
And the third video posted in quick succession to his 43.6million followers was by far the most disturbing - a video showing an alleged Islamic group throwing a teenager off a roof before beating him to death.
Trump then posted his own tweets, first accusing CNN of fake news, then congratulating his own policies and their impact on the stock market.
The issue was raised in the House of Commons this afternoon by Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee Yvette Cooper MP.
Talking to the Speaker of the House John Bercow, she said: 'I understand the woman in question has already been convicted of hate crime in thsi coutnry.
'And on that basis, given the significance and the seriousness of having the President of the United States of America giving her such a huge platform, does he not think it would be approptiate for us to hear some word of condemnation from the Home Secretary or the Foreign Secretary?'
There was no response from the Cabinet.
Labour MP for Tottenham also weighed in on the debate, saying: 'Let that sink in.
'The President of the United States is promoting a fascist, racist, extremist hate group whose leaders have been arrested and convicted.
'He is no ally or friend of ours. Donald Trump, you are not welcome in my country and my city.'
He also raised the issue that Thomas Mair shouted 'Britain First' before murdering his colleague Jo Cox on the eve of the Brexit vote.
'Do not forget that the man who murdered Jo Cox shouted 'Britain First',' he said.
'Trump has gone beyond the pale today.'
Mrs Cox's widower Brendan Cox said: 'Trump has legitimised the far right in his own country, now he's trying to do it in ours.
'Spreading hatred has consequences and the President should be ashamed of himself.'
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