TRUMP FIRES BACK AT MAY
British PM criticised him for retweeting anti-Muslim videos from far-right group Britain First
PRESIDENT Donald Trump publicly upbraided British Prime Minister and ostensible ally Theresa May on Wednesday, rebutting her criticism of anti-Muslim propaganda in a diplomatic row between the two leaders.
Plunging headlong into a highprofile spat with one of America’s closest international partners, Trump suggested May focus on defending the United Kingdom rather than criticising him.
“@theresa_may, 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!” he tweeted, after an earlier tweet with the same message used the wrong Twitter handle for May.
Trump drew fierce condemnation at home and abroad for retweeting three incendiary antiMuslim videos posted by Jayda Fransen, the deputy head of a British far-right group who was convicted of a hate crime.
May, through a spokesman, said Trump was “wrong” to promote the “hateful narratives” of the group, Britain First.
“It is wrong for the president to have done this,” the spokesman said. “Britain First seeks to divide communities through their use of hateful narratives which peddle lies and stoke tensions. They cause anxiety to law-abiding people.”
Trump fired back at May over her criticism.
Trump’s interventions in British politics strained the so-called “special relationship”.
He infuriated British authorities with his tweets on terrorism in Britain, including highly publicised run-ins with London’s Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan.
Khan described Britain First as “a vile, hate-fuelled organisation whose views should be condemned, not amplified”.
Before Trump’s latest missive, the White House scrambled to limit the fallout, saying even if the videos were misleading, Trump was pointing out a real problem.
One of the videos falsely claimed to show a Muslim beating up a Dutch boy on crutches. The Dutch embassy here took the unusual step of publicly criticising a sitting US president on Twitter.
“@realDonaldTrump Facts do matter. The perpetrator of the violent act in this video was born and raised in the Netherlands. He received and completed his sentence under Dutch law.”
Another video allegedly showed an Islamist mob pushing a teen off a rooftop. It appears to be footage filmed during unrest in Egypt in 2013. A man was executed for the teen’s death.
The third video allegedly depicts a Muslim smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary.