Labour leader says Theresa May ‘cannot remain silent’ on US president after his comments in wake of Charlottesville rally

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Jeremy Corbyn has criticised Theresa May for failing to directly condemn Donald Trump after the US president defended some of the far-right activists who took part in a racist rally in Charlottesville.

The Labour leader said May’s response did not go far enough to put pressure on Trump, who is still officially invited to the UK for a state visit hosted by the Queen.

“We all have a responsibility to condemn racism in the strongest terms wherever it rears its ugly head. Donald Trump should unequivocally condemn those who want to reverse the achievements of the civil rights movement and take us back to the days of Jim Crow,” he said.

“Theresa May cannot remain silent while the US president refuses categorically to denounce white supremacists and neo-Nazi violence.”

May has implicitly criticised Trump’s reaction to the rally in Virginia on Saturday, during which a woman was killed when a car was driven into a counter-demonstration, by saying there should be no moral equivalence between the racist protesters and those campaigning against them. The prime minister did not, however, mention the president by name.

She has also refused requests to cancel Trump’s planned state visit to the UK in light of his latest comments.



Play Video 0:37 Theresa May criticises Trump's Charlottesville response – video

Asked about Trump’s claim that some of those taking part in the Charlottesville neo-Nazi demonstration were “very fine people”, 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.”

May made her comments while in Portsmouth at a ceremony to mark the arrival of the new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, after her spokesman said on Monday that Trump’s reaction was a matter for the president.

Trump initially took two days to condemn the neo-Nazi and KKK supporters who attended the Charlottesville rally. He gave a statement on Monday denouncing racism, but the next day reverted to his original response to the clashes by blaming both sides for the violence and drawing a moral equivalence between the white supremacists and the counter-protesters, whom he branded “alt-left”.

Some Conservative politicians went much further than May in explicitly rejecting Trump’s response. The Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson, tweeted:

Ruth Davidson (@RuthDavidsonMSP) The President of the United States has just turned his face to the world to defend Nazis, fascists and racists. For shame.

Sam Gyimah, the prisons minister, tweeted: “Words matter. Silence matters. We must call out hate – unambiguously – to preserve the free & tolerant society many have fought & die for.

“The ‘leader of the free world’ loses moral authority when he cannot call fascism by its name.”

Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, posted:

Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) Neo-Nazis: bad

Anti-Nazis: good

I learned that as a child.

It was pretty obvious.

The SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, said that in light of Trump’s remarks a state visit by him to the UK should be unthinkable.

Referring to the former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, who attended the Charlottesville rally and later welcomed Trump’s remarks, Sturgeon said: “When the likes of David Duke praise you, you are on the wrong side. There are no ‘fine’ Nazis. We must all stand firm against far right.

“Some issues are just too fundamental for diplomatic silence. This is one of them.”

Nia Griffith, the shadow defence secretary, said: “A state visit by Donald Trump would shame this country and betray all we stand for. Theresa May should revoke the invitation immediately.”

Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, wrote: “Millions of Americans died fighting the Nazis in WW2, my husband’s dad fought alongside them with so many others, POTUS has brought such shame.”

The Labour MP Lilian Greenwood said Trump’s comments were sickening and a new low.

Referring to a visa questionnaire given to tourists visiting the US, the Labour MP Chris Bryant wrote: “May cd rescue smidgen of moral authority now by rescinding Trump invite. After all US immigration ask ‘are u or have u ever been a Nazi?’”

At the press conference in New York, Trump said: “I’m not putting anybody on a moral plane. You had a group on one side and group on the other and they came at each other with clubs. There is another side, you can call them the left, that came violently attacking the other group. You had people that were very fine people on both sides.”

May invited Trump to the UK on a state visit, an honour normally not extended to presidents until they have been in office some years, when she first met him in the White House days after his inauguration, and he accepted.

At the time it was thought the visit would take place in the autumn, but Trump has told May privately that he does not want to come if there will be big protests against him, and no timetable has been announced.