US president Donald Trump has widely criticised after he retweeted three anti-Muslim videos from British far-right group, Britain First on his personal account.
The first tweet from Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First, claims to show a Muslim migrant attacking a man on crutches.
This was followed by two more videos posted by Ms Fransen. One shows a man she claims is Muslim smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary, a Christian religious figure. The third video was captioned by Ms Fransen as “Islamist mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!”.
Reaction to Mr Trump’s actions in the UK, where the party was founded in 2011 by former members of fellow far-right grouping the British National Party, has been swift and harsh.
Prime minister Theresa May’s spokesperson 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. British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far-right, which is the antithesis of the values that this country represents – decency, tolerance and respect.
“It is wrong for the President to have done this.”
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, wrote on Twitter that the tweets that the president had broadcast to a wider audience were “abhorrent, dangerous and a threat to our society.”
Mr Trump’s actions also raised the prospect again of how fitting his future state visit to the UK would be.
Labour MP Chuka Umunna told Sky News: “I don't think the president of the United States, a president who has not only promoted bigotry, misogyny and racism in his own country, I don't think he is welcome here.
“I think the invite that has been made to him to come to our country in early 2018 should be withdrawn.”
