Trump’s stance on Virginia violence shocks America’s allies
BERLIN/LONDON: America’s closest allies condemned US President Donald Trump in unusually strong and personal terms on Wednesday after he put part of the blame for violent clashes in the state of Virginia on those marching against gunbrandishing neo-Nazis.
British Prime Minister Theresa May, widely criticised at home for cultivating close ties to Trump during his first half year in office, spoke out after the president repeated his view that the white nationalists and counterprotesters were both to blame.
“There’s no equivalence, I see no equivalence between those who propound fascist views and those who oppose them and I think it is important for all those in positions of responsibility to condemn farright views wherever we hear them,” May said.
The leader of the centrist Liberal Democrats said May should rescind her invitation to Trump to pay a state visit to Britain.
“After. úrealDonaldTrump whitewash of murder and hatred by #WhiteSupremacists why is he still on list of invited official guests to UK?” Vince Cable tweeted.
Politicians in Germany, which has tough laws against hate speech and any symbols linked to the Nazis who murdered 6 million Jews in the Holocaust, expressed shock at the images of people in Charlottesville, Virginia carrying swastikas and chanting anti-Jewish slurs.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s condemned the ‘racist, far-right violence’.
Her challenger in next month’s election called Trump’s comments the ‘confused utterances’ of a dangerous man.
“We should not tolerate the monstrosities coming out of the president’s mouth,” Martin Schulz told the RND newspaper group in an interview.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas, like Schulz a member of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) which rules in coalition with Merkel, accused Trump of trivialising anti-Semitism and racism. — Reuters