Hard-left Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn railed against President Trump at a protest in London, saying he was “proud” the capital has a Muslim mayor and suggesting the American had created a “sense of hate”.
President Trump is in the United Kingdom for a state visit marking the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in the Second in World War, in which British and Canadian forces were supported by the U.S. First Army in fighting their way on to a series of beachheads and commence the liberation of France.
But Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who may well become Prime Minister after Britain’s next general election, has reportedly opted to snub the American leader, going so far as to attend a mass protest against his visit — despite having previously attended a formal banquet for Chinese Communist Party supremo Xi Jinping, who heads an increasingly brutal and repressive one-party state, without issue.
Delivering a speech to what appeared to crowds of seemingly largely middle-class protesters, many carrying anti-Brexit placards, in Whitehall, Mr Corbyn praised them as “the whole wonderful mosaic of diversity and inclusion [that is] the living embodiment of what a democratic society is about”.
“In welcoming visitors from the United States, I hope there can be a conversation; I am not, absolutely not, refusing to meet anybody, I want to be able to have that dialogue to bring about the better and more peaceful world that we all want to live in,” he claimed — despite having clearly rejected meeting the President in favour of attending a rally against him.
“I am very disappointed, particularly today on the wonderful [Islamic] festival of Eid, that our Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has been attacked in the way that he has,” he whined, referring to President Trump’s roast of Khan as a “stone cold loser” who had lost control of crime — made in response to the Labour politician having first branded the President “far right” and comparing him to a “20th-century fascist”.
“I’m proud that our city has a Muslim mayor, that we can chase down Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, any form of racism, within our society — because racism divides; exploitation of minorities divides; exploitation of minorities brings about hatred, dislike, disdain, and a horrible place for individuals to live in,” Corbyn declared — a somewhat controversial statement, given his party his currently under investigation following a series of anti-Semitism scandals.
“When you’ve created that sense of hate, when you’ve destroyed people’s self-esteem, by those forms of racism, do you know what? You haven’t built a house, you haven’t built a school, you haven’t trained a nurse, you haven’t defended our natural world — all you’ve done is created a greater sense of hate and hatred that goes with it,” Corbyn added — but cringed back from accusing President Trump of having done these things directly.
“I say to our visitors that have arrived this week, think on, please, about a world that is one of peace and disarmament; is one of recognising the values of all people; is a world of that defeats racism, defeats misogyny, defeats the religious hatreds that have been fuelled by the far right in politics, in Britain, in Europe, and the United States,” he railed, after taking the Trump administration to task for pulling out of the Paris climate agreement.
“Do you know what? Together we can make a big difference! Together we can change this world!” the 70-year-old concluded, suddenly shouting angrily.
“Together we can bring about peace and justice! And by our demonstration here today we’ve shown just how determined we, all of us are, to achieve that better place, and that better world!”
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