TRUMP TWEETS FAR-RIGHT VIDEOS
Downing Street has condemned Donald Trump for sharing inflammatory antiMuslim videos posted online by the deputy leader of the far-right group Britain First.
The US president caused outrage after retweeting to his 43.6 million followers three posts by Jayda Fransen, including unverified footage purporting to show Muslims committing crimes.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Britain First was dedicated to causing division among communities and that the president had been “wrong” share the posts.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Mr Trump had been seeking to “promote strong borders and strong national security”.
Pressed on whether the president had a responsibility to verify the content of the postings, Ms Sanders said: “Whether it’s a real video, the threat is real and that is what the president is talking about.”
The posts included unverified videos titled “Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!” and “Muslim Destroys a Statue of Virgin Mary!”
Fransen, 31, who was convicted last November of religiously aggravated harassment for hurling abuse at a Muslim woman in a hijab, appeared to celebrate the president’s actions, tweeting moments later “God bless you Trump”.
Elsewhere they caused outrage, with Downing Street making clear the Government’s dismay at way he had publicised the views of a such far-right group.
“Britain First seeks to divide communities through their use of hateful narratives which peddle lies and stoke tensions,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.
“They cause anxiety to law-abiding people.
“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.
“It is wrong for the president to have done this.”
The widower of MP Jo Cox, who was murdered by right-wing extremist Thomas Mair as he shouted “Britain first”, said postings were “horrific”.
Brendan Cox told the BBC: “Almost nothing Trump does surprises us any more. I think this did.
“I think the revulsion that is out there is because the president of our nearest ally is sharing far right hatred, giving them a microphone, and I think people are authentically shocked by that.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the postings were “abhorrent, dangerous and a threat to our society”, while the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, urged the president to remove them from his timeline.
“It is deeply disturbing that the president of the United States has chosen to amplify the voice of farright extremists,” the Archbishop said.
Despite the outcry, the Prime Minister’s spokesman made clear the 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.
Meanwhile, President Trump has threatened new sanctions on North Korea after its most powerful missile test yet.
Mr Trump also urged China “to use all available levers” to convince its ally to “return to the path of denuclearisation”.
It was not immediately clear if Mr Trump was referring to additional US sanctions or another round of penalties at the United Nations (UN).
Agreement between the US and China, both veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council, is key to such action.
Mr Trump tweeted that he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about “the provocative actions of North Korea. Additional major sanctions will be imposed on North Korea today. This situation will be handled!”