PHOTO: A protest at Los Angeles airport against detention of passengers under Donald Trump’s “Muslim ban”
As the protests continue against Donald Trump’s ban on citizens of seven mainly-Muslim countries from entering the US, I spoke with BBC outlets on Monday morning about the approach of the President and his advisors — notably chief strategist Steve Bannon, about the false logic behind the measure, and about the need to challenge an assault on freedom and tolerance.
Us v. Them
This is Trump’s campaign rhetoric that he used to get into the White House, which is simply “It’s Us v. Them” — and them in this case are Muslims. He has advisors, such as Steve Bannon, who have pursued this for years….
Even if some supported this politician, that does not make this right. It did not make it right in the 1960s when politicians from my part of the US discriminated against African Americans. It was not right when they discriminated against gays and lesbians. It was not right when they discriminated against women.
And it is not right now.
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“Only Latest in a Series of Measures”
Donald Trump’s the President — I’m not challenging that. But now you have to assess each of his statements and his measures. And on each of those measures, every American is going to be affected negatively — and we in the UK are going to be affected as well….
[Britain] might need to work with America. But we don’t need to work with Donald Trump and kow-tow to him.
See also US Feature: An Iranian Woman Trapped by the Muslim Ban — “No One Warned Me What Would Happen”
Can Trump Be Challenged?
It was only a week ago that we had millions in the Women’s Marches, which were not just about women’s rights but about rights for all people, about justice, and about raising questions over Trump’s character. We have just seen those fears about Trump being reinforced in the past week.
The protests will grow. I think this is the most important period in America since the 1960s.
“We Do Not Stand Aside”
A minority of people voted for Donald Trump for a variety of reasons. But this was not an election which said, “As soon as Trump becomes President, we are going to deny rights to people based on religion or where they come from.
When a man is put in office, we do not stand by and say, “This is acceptable.”
