May berates Trump over Charlottesville response

Prime Minister says ‘no equivalence’ between fascists and their opponents

Theresa May has criticised Donald Trump for not singling out white supremacists for criticism following deadly unrest in Virginia, insisting there is “no equivalence” between fascists and their opponents.

The Prime Minister spoke out after the US President failed to condemn far-right demonstrators outright for violence in Charlottesville in which a woman was killed.

Mr Trump claimed “there is blame on all sides”, apparently equating the actions of far-right demonstrators with those protesting against them.

But Mrs May said: “I see no equivalence between those who propound fascist views and those who oppose them.

“I think it is important for all those in positions of responsibility to condemn far-right views wherever we hear them.”

Asked about Mr Trump’s comments in the wake of the violence, Mrs May told reporters in Portsmouth: “As I made clear at the weekend following the horrendous scenes that we saw in Charlottesville, I absolutely abhor the racism, the hatred and the violence that we have seen portrayed by these groups.”

Mrs May spoke after senior Tories condemned Mr Trump, whose comments have also provoked criticism from both Republicans and Democrats in the US.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid tweeted: “Neo-Nazis: bad, Anti-Nazis: good, I learned that as a child. It was pretty obvious.”

Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson posted: “The President of the United States has just turned his face to the world to defend Nazis, fascists and racists. For shame.”

Violence erupted in Charlottesville on Saturday after a group of far-right extremists gathered to protest against a decision to remove a statue of a Confederate general. Heather Heyer, 32, later died when a car was driven into crowds as anti-fascist demonstrators clashed with the white supremacists.

Mr Trump faced heavy criticism in the immediate wake of the unrest after he said there was blame on “many sides”.

He took two days to condemn the actions of the far-right groups in particular, eventually branding the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists “repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans”, in a statement on Monday.

Picture: AP. Jason Charter, left, of Washington, stands by a memorial to Heather Heyer at the spot where she was killed. Charter was at the scene when a car rammed into anti-fascist demonstrators.