Church moderator ‘horrified’ by president’s action

Donald Trump’s immigration ban has “horrified” the moderator of the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly.

As a backlash against the president’s detaining of people entering America from seven banned Muslim-majority countries continued north of the border, the Right Rev Dr Russell Barr announced his support for protests which took place across Britain.

Politicians from all parties condemned the policy ahead of a controversial state visit to the UK, although First Minister Nicola Sturgeon refused to rule out meeting President Trump if he visited Scotland.

Dr Barr said: “I am horrified that President Trump has signed an executive order suspending admission of refugees to the United States for 120 days, and banning travellers from seven countries from entering the US for the next three months.

“Over the weekend thousands of people have gathered in US airports to protest and there has been international condemnation of the order.

“The protests and the condemnation has my full support.

“History is littered with instances in which human distrust, xenophobia and discrimination has sown hatred and conflict; our own desire for selfpreservation taken at the exclusion of others.”

Chris Law, the SNP MP for Dundee West, has written to Prime Minister Theresa May, urging her to ensure the Republican is “not welcomed to this country”.

He wrote: “A petition to prevent Donald Trump from making a state visit to the United Kingdom has today reached over one million signatures and counting, which includes signatures from over 1,600 people in my constituency of Dundee West.

“I strongly believe that President Trump should not be welcomed to this country whilst this situation continues. I therefore urge you to postpone plans to welcome the president to the UK on a state visit and to condemn his actions immediately in the clearest terms.”

After meeting Mrs May to discuss Brexit, Ms Sturgeon said she told the Prime Minister concerns about President Trump should be voiced more forcefully and called for the planned state visit to be ditched.

She told the Guardian: “I said that while everybody understands that she wants to build a constructive relationship, that relationship has to be based on values. I think many people would like to hear a stronger view from the UK Government about the immigrant and refugee ban that was announced.”

Asked if she would meet President Trump in Scotland, Ms Sturgeon said: “The relationship between Scotland and America is important. I’m not going to start getting into refusing meeting people but nor am I going to maintain diplomatic silences over things that are really important in a values and principles sense.”

Alex Cole-Hamilton, a Liberal Democrat MSP who attended a protest march in Edinburgh, said: “The actions of Donald Trump have spat right in the face of British values of openness and tolerance.

“What he has done stands against everything that Britain stands for.

“To have a state visit would mean we betray those values.”

Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, has said she would not support the proposed state visit while the “cruel and divisive policy” is in place.

Meanwhile, a motion has been lodged at Holyrood urging MSPs to agree the Scottish Parliament “is deeply concerned about President Trump’s executive order”.

At the time of going to press, 15 members had signed the proposal by Labour’s Pauline McNeill, including representatives from the SNP and Scottish Greens.

History is littered with instances in which human distrust, xenophobia and discrimination has sown hatred and conflict