Why oppose Trump but not REAL tyrants?
THOUSAnDS of people demonstrated against the visit to the UK of the democratically elected U.S. President. Yet when the Commonwealth leaders visited London a few months ago, there wasn’t a murmur, even though in 37 of those 53 countries homosexuality is outlawed. In the past few years, London has welcomed Xi Jinping, the leader of China, which has an appalling record on human rights. Protests? not that you’d notice. Carrying my homemade placard emblazoned with the slogan ‘The Silent Majority Welcomes President Trump’, I talked to protesters. I was struck by their ignorance about American politics. Some couldn’t tell me what party Trump represents while others didn’t know who his presidential opponent had been. Like him or not, Donald Trump is delivering what he promised in his election campaign: the American economy is thriving, jobs lost during the stagnant eight years under Barack Obama have been re-established and the stock market is buoyant. By getting the leader of north Korea to the negotiating table, Trump has achieved something every President since Eisenhower has failed to do. His style might be disconcerting, but he is intuitive, decisive and bold. The puerile demonstrations could cause long-term damage to our economy and Anglo-American relations. Pictures of protesters will have been seen in the U.S. and could cause irreparable harm to our country’s relationship with the millions of Americans who voted for Trump. It makes me ashamed to be British. SIMON WARR, Osterley, West London. JOInInG the Carnival of resistance in London, my wife and I met many other ordinary,
middle-aged men and women on the train to and from the West Country. While I am happy to be branded a Guardian reader — even when that term is intended to insult — I draw the line at being labelled ‘Corbyn’s rent-aLeftie mob’ (Mail).
LES BRIGHT, Exeter, Devon. THe level of sanctimoniousness has reached an all-time high. As people die on the streets of Nicaragua, not a word from our bleeding-heart liberals. No coach-loads descended to protest about the status of women during the visit by the Saudi Crown Prince. There was no street protest or novelty balloon about the industrial-scale child abuse in Rochdale or Rotherham. So how can we explain the hysteria? Trump is a white, privileged, racist misogynist from a capitalist country, so in terms of the identity politics hierarchy of hate, he is public enemy number one. free speech only seems to apply to virtue-signalling liberal Leftists.
JOHN McCLEMENTS, Newtownards, Co. Down. WHeN I think of the wonderful way I’ve been treated during visits to the U.S., it makes me ashamed to be British when Jeremy Corbyn, Sadiq Khan and 100,000 protesters insult not only the President, but the American people.
JOHN EVANS, Wokingham, Berks. I AM saddened and appalled by those who think that exercising a democratic right of peaceful protest against Donald Trump is an affront to his office. This is the man who separated immigrant children from their parents and caged them like animals. People should condemn this by any lawful means at their disposal. To do otherwise is to sanction his actions as President, when he is a disgrace to a fine country and the office he represents. By inviting Trump to the UK, the Government discredited our record on human rights and put the Queen in an embarrassing position. Our special relationship should not determine that any action by a U.S. President is acceptable.
MIKE HARDY, High Wycombe, Bucks.