KHAN: STOP TRUMP VISIT TO UK UNTIL MUSLIM BAN IS LIFTED
LONDONERS WON’T SUPPORT ‘ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET’ FOR U.S. PRESIDENT, WARNS MAYOR SADIQ
MAYOR Sadiq Khan today warned that Londoners will not support “rolling out the red carpet” for Donald Trump until the Muslim ban is lifted, as one million people called for his state visit to be called off.
Amid worldwide protests at his banning of refugees and people from seven mainly Muslim countries from the US, Mr Khan said Britain must show that it did not endorse the President’s actions.
“That is why we must now rescind the offer of a full state visit for President Trump — until this ban is lifted,” said London’s Mayor, writing in the Evening Standard. “I don’t believe the people of London will support rolling out the red carpet until this happens. Great friends must warn each other when they are making a mistake.”
A formal invitation from the Queen to President Trump was handed over by
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Theresa May on Friday, a day before he signed an executive order closing America’s doors to millions of people. Mr Trump is due to visit in July with wife Melania for a full VIP tour with banquets and a speech to Parliament. In a swirl of confusion and protest against the unprecedented presidential action:
A parliamentary petition calling for the invitation to be torn up passed the one million names milestone shortly before 10am, just a day after launched.
Tens of thousands were expected to join protests tonight being held in London outside Downing Street and in other cities.
London emerged as the greatest UK centre of anti-Trump feeling, with around 250,000 people joining the call for his visit to be stopped.
Business leaders and MPs joined the protests — but Downing Street insisted the state visit will go ahead.
Heartbreaking stories of refugees
it was being turned away in tears were emerging today, including claims that a US serviceman’s mother was held in handcuffs when she tried to enter the country. An Iraqi translator who had helped the US military was also sent away.
Airlines were forced to swap pilots on some US-bound planes, while businesses reported that key staff were unable to attend meetings.
Mr Khan said the ban was “shameful and cruel” and would be ultimately “self-defeating” because it would play into the hands of extremists. He writes: “I fear it will be used to act as a recruiting sergeant for so called Isis (Islamic State) and other like-minded groups.” He pointed out that Apple founder Steve Jobs, the son of a Syrian migrant, and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, whose parents were Iranian, would both have been blocked.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said: “I am heartbroken that today President Trump is closing the door on children, mothers and fathers fleeing violence and war.”
Bosses at AirBnb, Twitter, Uber and Tesla all hit out at Mr Trump. Sir Martin Sorrell, head of WPP, said: “As the grandson of Eastern European grandparents, who were admitted to the UK in the very late 19th and early 20th centuries, I have an instinctive dislike of such measures.”
Starbucks declared it will hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years in response, particularly immigrants “who have served with US troops as interpreters and support personnel”.
Tory peer Baroness Warsi, who was the first female Muslim cabinet minister, said Mr Trump should not be given the honour of a state visit.
“We have to question whether, in Britain, this is something that Britain should be doing for a man who has no respect for women, disdain for minorities, little value for LGBT communities, no compassion for the vulnerable and whose policies are rooted in divisive rhetoric,” she said.
Former Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt urged Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, to “find a reason” to postpone Mr Trump’s visit and negotiate a joint statement by both countries. He added: “At the moment, the idea of having a visit would seem very uncomfortable to both sides.”
MPs savaged President Trump, while Labour accused Mrs May of failing to stand up to him. Green MP Caroline Lucas tweeted it was “an attack on Muslims everywhere & May’s weak response shames us all”. Downing Street upped the stakes by flatly refusing to reconsider the invitation.
A No 10 source said: “An invitation has been extended and accepted.” Mr