US must do more to tackle far-Right extremists says
Theresa May who REFUSES to back down in spat with Trump - as it's
claimed plans for a January 'working visit' to the UK have been dropped
- PM slammed Trump for retweeting anti-Muslim videos posted by Britain First
- Said the US President was 'wrong' to share three videos from the far right group
- But Mr Trump hit back that Mrs May should focus on Islamic terrorism in the UK
- Other users pointed out the president tagged the wrong Theresa in his message
- Growing calls for the US president's State Visit invite to be withdrawn amid row
- Plans for a 'working visit' in January 2018 have reportedly been dropped
Published:
08:43 GMT, 30 November 2017
|
Updated:
02:31 GMT, 1 December 2017
Theresa
May has said the US must do more to tackle far-Right extremists as she
refused to back down in her spat with Donld Trump.
The Prime Minister hit back at Mr Trump's
jibe that she is not tackling terrorism in Britain as an extraordinary
spat threatened to blow the Special Relationship apart.
Mrs
May risked fuelling the row by repeating her view that the US president
was 'wrong' to retweet anti-Muslim videos posted by the far-Right group
Britain First.
Despite Mr Trump
lashing out at her last night demanding she focus on 'Islamic terrorism
taking place in the UK', Mrs May said she would not be afraid to raise
concerns about such interventions.
She
also did little to quell speculation that a visit from Mr Trump has now
being kicked into the long grass, stressing that no date has been set.
A senior US diplomat also raised further doubts on the upcoming visit, telling the Daily Telegraph: 'The
idea of a visit has obviously been floated, but not December and not
January. I would not expect a Trump visit in January.'
Trump
was due to visit Britain in January 2018 to officially open America's
new London embassy, but the clash with May seems to have pushed any
plans aside.
Theresa May faced questions about the spat with Donald Trump after she gave a speech in Jordan today (pictured)
Mrs May
slammed Donald Trump (pictured tonight in the Oval Office) yesterday
after he retweeted anti-Muslim videos posted by the leader of the far
right Britain First
Questioned
by journalists during a visit to Jordan this afternoon, Mrs May
said: 'The fact that we work together does not mean we are afraid to say
when we think the United States has got it wrong and to be very clear
with them.
'And I am very clear that retweeting from Britain First was the wrong thing to do.'
'I
think that we must all take seriously the threat that far-Right groups
pose and both in terms of the terrorist threat that is posed by those
groups and the necessity of dealing with extremist material which is
far-Right as well.'
And
she warned the UK will not be afraid to rebuke America, despite the
so-called special relationship, when she feels Mr Trump has got
something wrong.
'The fact that we work together does
not mean that we are afraid to say when we think the United States have
got it wrong and be very clear with them,' she said.
As
the row escalated, the UK's ambassador to Washington, Sir Kim Darroch,
lodged a formal protest with the White House over the retweets.
Mr
Trump's actions drew cold fury from across the political spectrum in
the UK, with fresh calls for his invite to the UK - extended by Mrs May
on behalf of the Queen in Washington in January - to be withdrawn.
Lib Dem
leader Vince Cable labelled Mr Trump an 'evil racist', while shadow
foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said he was trying to 'humiliate and
belittle' the PM.
Mr Trump has fired back at the
PM by saying she should concentrate on 'Radical Islamic Terrorism taking
place in the UK' and not his Twitter activity. Twitter users were also
quick to point out that the president had tagged the wrong Theresa in
his message
He posted the same message a few moments later with the correct Twitter handle. For a few minutes
he left the original tweet up
The first video President Trump
posted depicted 'Muslim migrant' according to Jayda Fransen, beating up a
'Dutch boy on crutches'
Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan
said the comments will be seen as a 'betrayal' of the Special
Relationship and called for his visit to be cancelled.
Cabinet
ministers also joined the condemnation. Home Secretary Amber Rudd
appeared to hint that the state visit will not be happening any time
soon, stressing that 'arrangements have yet to be made'. She also
suggested Mr Trump should give up Twitter.
The
first video retweeted by Mr Trump yesterday claimed to show a 'Muslim
migrant' beating up a Dutch boy on crutches. Dutch authorities have
insisted the alleged migrant was born and raised in the country and his
religion is unknown.
TRUMP CONDEMNED ON ALL SIDES BY FURIOUS POLITICIANS
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said Mr Trump had 'endorsed the views of a vile, hate-filled racist organisation that hates me and people like me', adding: 'He is wrong and I refuse to let it go and say nothing.'
Shadow foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry warned: 'If
he comes next year, a year which is supposed to be a really happy year
for the royal family, what on earth are people supposed to make of it?
'Of course, the whole thing will be a total security nightmare if Donald Trump comes over.'
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable branded the President an 'evil racist'
Labour MP Naz Shah suggested the 'commander-in-tweet' should be placed on the list of those banned from entering the country for promoting 'the hate-filled ideology of fascism'
Ex-Tory minister Tim Loughton said Twitter should
'have no hesitance in taking down the Twitter account of the First
Citizen of the US, as it would any other citizen of the world who
peddles such hate crime'
Commons Speaker John Bercow told MPs: 'I
thought the House would want urgently to express support for the
victims of racism and bigotry and to denounce their purveyors'
Labour MP Stephen Doughty said that 'by sharing it, he is either a racist, incompetent or unthinking - or all three.'
Mr
Trump also retweeted a video of a Muslim man 'destroy(ing) a statue of
Virgin Mary', and another where Britain First deputy leader
Jayda Fransen - who has previously been convicted of religiously
aggravated harassment - to wrote: 'Islamist mob pushed teenage boy off
roof and beats him to death!' The provenance of the footage is unknown.
In an excoriating verdict on Britain First today, Mrs May branded it a 'hateful organisation'.
'It
seeks to spread division and mistrust among our communities. It stands
in fundamental opposition to the values we share as a nation - values of
respect, tolerance and common British decency,' she said.
'On
the issue of radical Islamism, British Muslims are peaceful and
law-abiding who have themselves been victims of acts of terror by the
far right. There are those who conduct acts of terror in the name of
Islam, but it is not in the name of Islam.
'As
Prime Minister, I am very clear about the priority that I give to
dealing with the challenge of the threat of terrorism ... and extremism
from whatever source they come.'
Asked
whether she regarded Mr Trump as a fit person to be hosted by the Queen
on a state visit, the Prime Minister said only: 'An invitation for a
state visit has been extended and has been accepted. We have yet to set a
date.'
But she made clear that she wanted to maintain the UK's close relations with the US, regardless of Mr Trump's actions.
'This is a long-term special relationship that we have,' said Mrs May.
'It is an enduring relationship that is there because it is in both our national interests for that relationship to be there.
'As
Prime Minister, I am clear that that relationship with the United
States should continue. I think it is in the interests both of the
United Kingdom and the United States and of the wider world.'
The
UK's ambassador to Washington, Sir Kim Darroch, said: 'British people
overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far right, which
seek to divide communities and erode decency, tolerance and respect.
'British Muslims are peaceful and law abiding citizens. And I raised these concerns with the White House yesterday.'
Despite the row with Britain,
the President was back on diplomatic duties this afternoon as he
appeared in the Oval Office Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad
al-Khalifa
As the row escalated, the UK's
ambassador to Washington, Sir Kim Darroch, lodged a formal protest with
the White House over the retweets.
Work
and Pensions Secretary David Gauke insisted Mrs May had been right to
call out Mr Trump's behaviour. 'If that has upset Donald Trump then so
be it,' he said.
Winston Churchill's grandson Sir Nicholas Soames, a Tory MP, said the US president 'is ignorant' and 'hasn't a clue'.
The
PM's spokesman said: 'Over her time as home secretary and as Prime
Minister - and obviously in the wake of the tragic events over the
summer - the Prime Minister is fully focused on dealing with extremism.'
'The Prime Minister has been clear that where extremism does exist it should be tackled head on.
'We are working hard to do that both at home and internationally, including with our US partners in Iraq and Syria.'
Mrs May's spokesman said Britain had a strong and constructive relationship 'with the United States and the US President'.
The UK's ambassador to Washington, Sir Kim Darroch, lodged a formal protest with the White House over the retweets
Speaker John Bercow granted an
urgent question on Mr Trump's tweets in the Commons today - saying he
believed MPs wanted a chance to voice support for 'victims of racism and
bigotry and denounce their purveyors'
Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the House the Government wold not 'tolerate' groups that spread hate
Mrs May was delivering a speech during a visit to Jordan today
But an apparently infuriated Mr
Trump waded back in on Twitter overnight, saying Mrs May should be
focusing on potential security threats instead of criticising him.
He
wrote: 'Theresa @theresamay, don't focus on me, focus on the
destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the
United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!'
US ENVOY'S TWITTER Q&A HIJACKED BY TRUMP CRITICS
A Twitter Q&A by the US ambassador to the UK was swamped by furious users attacking Donald Trump.
Robert
Wood 'Woody' Johnson IV, 70, had hoped for questions about settling
into British life and his priorities as ambassador when he opened up the
#AskWoody hashtag on Tuesday.
But the
next day Mr Trump caused widespread outrage by retweeting three posts
by Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen to 43.6 million followers.
Mr Trump's man in London - who took up his post two months ago - was inundated with scathing attacks on the US leader.
One
user said: 'What is your view of a US President retweeting and
legitimising a far-right hate group whose leaders have been charged and
convicted for hate crimes in the UK?'
Mr
Johnson, the billionaire owner of the New York Jets American football
team tweeted: 'I have relayed your concerns to Washington' on Thursday
morning. He added: 'The U.S. & UK have a long history of speaking
frankly with each other, as all close friends do. Our relationship is
strong, vital and enduring.'
Other users were quick to point out that the president had tagged the wrong Theresa in his message.
He posted the same message a few moments later with the correct Twitter handle.
Speaker
John Bercow granted an urgent question on Mr Trump's tweets in the
Commons today - saying he believed MPs wanted a chance to voice support
for 'victims of racism and bigotry and denounce their purveyors'.
Mr
Bercow has already made clear he would block the President from getting
the honour of addressing both Houses of Parliament if he comes to the
UK.
Mrs Rudd told the House the Government wold not 'tolerate' groups that spread hate.
'President Donald Trump was wrong to retweet videos posted by Britain First,' she said.
Ms Rudd said the relationship between Britain and America, including intelligence sharing on terror threats, remained 'vital'.
She said: 'It has undoubtedly saved British lives. That is the bigger picture and I would urge people to remember that.'
When
Tory backbencher Peter Bone asked if she would advise the US president
to delete his Twitter account, Mrs Rudd said: 'I'm sure many of us might
share his view.'
She
also repeatedly stressed that the government had 'not yet made the
arrangements' for Mr Trump's visit - in what appeared to be a hint that
it will not happen any time soon.
Mrs May was in Jordan today as
part of her tour of the Middle East, which saw her visit Iraq yesterday.
She was the first British PM to go to the country for nine years
Labour MPs Paul Flynn and Chris Bryant suggested Mr Trump should be arrested for inciting racial hatred if he comes to the UK.
Sajid
Javid, who is the son of a bus driver of Pakistani descent and now
serves in the Cabinet as local government secretary, tore into the tweet
online.
He wrote: 'So POTUS has endorsed the views of a vile, hate-filled racist organisation that hates me and people like me.
MIGRANT VIDEO IS 'FAKE NEWS', DUTCH MEDIA CLAIM
The video entitled 'Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!' has already been claimed to be fake news .
The clip was allegedly first posted on the Dutch website Dumpert in May before being removed following a request by police.
The incident was said to have taken place in Monnickendam, around ten miles north of Amsterdam.
But
Dutch media the 16-year-old perpetrator, who was arrested, is said to
be an 'ordinary Dutchman' – and not a migrant nor a Muslim.
'He is wrong and I refuse to let it go and say nothing.'
Foreign
Secretary Boris Johnson also joined in the condemnation, writing on
Twitter: 'Britain First is a divisive, hateful group whose views are not
in line with our values.
'UK has a proud history as an open, tolerant society & hate speech has no place here.'
Mr
Khan said: 'President Trump yesterday used Twitter to promote a vile,
extremist group that exists solely to sow division and hatred in our
country.
'Many Brits who love America and Americans will see this as a betrayal of the special relationship between our two countries.
'It
beggars belief that the President of our closest ally doesn't see that
his support of this extremist group actively undermines the values of
tolerance and diversity that makes Britain great.'
He
added: 'As the Mayor if this great diverse city, I have previously
called on Theresa May to cancel he ill judged offer of a state visit to
President Trump.
'After this latest
incident, it is increasingly clear that any official visit at all from
President Trump to Britain would not be welcomed.'
He urged the PM to use her influence to urge Mr Trump to delete his tweets and issue an apology.
The Mayor of London renewed his
call to cancel the President's planned state visit to Britain following
his latest Twitter outburst
The Local Government Secretary
Sajid Javid was among the first of a string of cabinet ministers to
condemn Donald Trump's post as 'wrong'
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson
said Britain First is 'divisive and hateful' as he joined those
condemning the President's tweet on the social media site
Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt also condemned Donald Trump's tweet branding it 'alarming and despairing'
Asked
about Mr Trump's comments about the Prime Minister, Ms Greening told
BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'In the end, our relationship with the
United States has a longevity to it that will succeed long after
presidents come and go.
'I don't agree
with the tweet President Trump has made, but I have to say I also
believe it should not distract from the agenda we have domestically and I
don't believe it should detract from the close relationship the UK has
had for many, many years and will go on to have with America and the
American people.'
Furious MPs insisted Mr Trump was 'not welcome here' following the Twitter posts but No 10 said his invite to come to Britain on a state visit still stands.
Brendan Cox, widower of murdered MP Jo, accused him of 'spreading hatred'.
Labour MP Mary Creagh said Mr
Trump was 'not welcome here', while Brendan Cox, whose politician wife
Jo was killed during the EU referendum campaign last year, accused him
of 'spreading hatred'
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joined calls for the government to take a tough stance on Mr Trump's retweets
Labour
politician Mrs Cox was stabbed and shot outside her constituency office
in Birstall, West Yorkshire, in June 2016 by a man who shouted 'Britain
First'.
During a debate in the
Commons, Labour MP Stephen Doughty condemned Mr Trump as 'either racist,
incompetent or unthinking or all three'.
Recalling
the murder of Cox – and standing a few rows in front of the shield
placed in the Commons in her memory – Mr Doughty said: 'We must all make
a stand against hate, from wherever it comes, or we will slip into the
darkness.'
JO COX MURDERED BY NAZI OBSESSED KILLER WHO SHOUTED 'BRITAIN FIRST'
The late Labour MP Jo Cox, a mother of
two young children, was brutally murdered by Nazi obsessed Thomas Mair
who shouted 'Britain First' as he stabbed her (file pic)
Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist who shouted 'Britain First' as he brutally shot and stabbed her to death.
Mrs
Cox, a mother of two young children, was on her way to hold a
constituency surgery when she was confronted by Thomas Mair one morning
in June last year.
Her killer, a
Nazi-obsessed loner, shouted 'Britain First, this is for Britain,
Britain will always come first' as he rained down blows on 41-year-old
Mrs Cox.
Mair, 54, spent hours looking
up information on the Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and other white
supremacist organisations before brutally attacking the Labour MP.
He
lay in wait outside Birstall Library for her to arrive for her weekly
surgery before repeatedly stabbing her with a 7in dagger and firing a
.22 rimfire rifle.
When arrested, the unemployed gardener told police, 'I am a political activist'.
Britain First is a far right organisation set up on 2011 a group of ex members of the British National Party (BNP).
Its
members have tried to stoke race tensions by launching so-called
Christian patrols, which see its members walk through Britain's streets
carrying giant crosses and confronting members of the public.
Several
of its leading members have been convicted of harassment after they
hurled abuse at women wearing hijabs and for launching 'mosque
invasions'.
There have been calls for the group to be listed as a terror organisation.
Britain
First previously denied any involvement in the attack on Mrs Cox, and
there is no suggestion that Mair was influenced by or in any way
involved with the group.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable described Mr Trump as an 'evil racist'.
Writing
on Twitter, Sir Vince said: 'New Donald Trump insult to Theresa May.
She must end humiliating dependence of Brexit Britain on goodwill of
evil racist. Cancel visit.'
Shadow
foreign secretary Mrs Thornberry said Mr Trump had chosen to 'humiliate
and belittle' Mrs May, and his actions underlined her poor judgement in
pushing for an early state visit.
The
row casts fresh doubt on the prospects for Mr Trump's state visit,
which has been repeatedly pushed back since Mrs May extended the invite
in January.
There have been claims Mr
Trump has been dragging his heels on agreeing a date because he does not
want to face protests - after more than 1.8million people signed a
petition demanding the visit be cancelled.
Brendan
Cox, the husband of Mrs Cox, who was killed during the EU referendum
campaign last year, said: 'Trump has legitimised the far right in his
own country, now he's trying to do it in ours.
'Spreading hatred has consequences and the President should be ashamed of himself.'
Labour
MP Mary Creagh posted: 'Jo Cox's killer shouted 'Britain First'.
(Trump) retweeting this hate criminal demeans his office. He is not
welcome here.'
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also urged Mrs May to take a tough stance against the President.
'I
hope our Government will condemn far-right retweets by Donald Trump.
They are abhorrent, dangerous and a threat to our society,' he said.
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.
'What
we see here is the president retweeting and promoting the propaganda of
a far right racist bigoted group members of which have been arrested
and convicted for promoting hatred in this country.
'I
am absolutely astounded that a man – any person – in his position
holding the office that he does should be promoting the propaganda of a
far right British group.'
A tweet from Fransen's account, which is verified by Twitter, appeared to celebrate the retweets by Mr Trump.
It
said: 'THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DONALD TRUMP, HAS RETWEETED
THREE OF DEPUTY LEADER JAYDA FRANSEN'S TWITTER VIDEOS! DONALD TRUMP
HIMSELF HAS RETWEETED THESE VIDEOS AND HAS AROUND 44 MILLION FOLLOWERS!
GOD BLESS YOU TRUMP! GOD BLESS AMERICA!'
Britain
First leader Paul Golding said: 'We've never spoken to him (Trump)
before. But the fact he's shared his alarm at Jayda's arrest means we're
going to reach out to him. Jayda is recording a video message directly
to him later.
The third video President Trump retweeted shows an 'Islamist mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!'
The second video shows a 'Muslim
man' speaking to the camera and then bashing a statue of Virgin Mary on
the ground, shattering her
'We're looking forward to all the new followers and support we'll get from Trump's publicity.'
Last year, Ms Fransen was found guilty of religiously aggravated harassment after accosting a Muslim woman.
The
charge stemmed from a January 2016 incident in which Fransen, wearing a
political uniform and during a so-called 'Christian patrol,' accosted a
Muslim woman named Sumayyah Sharpe in Luton, England.
Ms
Fransen admitted that she told Sharpe, who was wearing hijab, that
Muslim men force women to cover up to avoid rape 'because they cannot
control their sexual urges.'
'That's why they are coming into my country raping women across the continent,' Fransen told Sharpe, according to the Independent. Ms Sharpe was in front of her four children at the time.
Ms
Fransen, and Britain First leader Paul Golding, 35, also of Penge, are
due to appear at Folkestone Magistrates' Court today for a pre-trial
review over allegations of religiously aggravated abuse in Canterbury
and Ramsgate, Kent.
A trial is scheduled for January 29, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
She
will also appear in court in Northern Ireland in December charged with
using threatening and abusive language in connection with a speech she
made at an anti-terrorism demonstration in Belfast on August 6.
Britain
First previously denied any involvement in the attack on Mrs Cox, and
there is no suggestion that Mair was influenced by or in any way
involved with the group.
The videos were posted by Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First (pictured)
Labour MP and Home Affairs Committee chair Yvette Cooper said the government 'must condemn' the retweets by Mr Trump
No-one is safe! From Mayor of London to dead soldier's father, Trump's targets on Twitter
Donald
Trump has publicly clashed with dozens of leaders and notable figures
across the world since announcing his run for president - frequently
through animated Twitter messages.
Among
those he has targeted or insulted are London Mayor Sadiq Khan, North
Korean leader Kim Jong Un and former presidential candidate Hillary
Clinton.
Sadiq Khan
Sadiq
Khan announced more police officers would be on London's streets after
the London Bridge terror attack in June and reassured residents: 'There
is no reason to be alarmed by this.'
Trump took this out of context and blasted Khan on Twitter.
Hillary Clinton
Trump has repeatedly criticised Hillary Clinton since beating her to the White House.
Earlier this month he called her 'the worst (and biggest) loser of all time.'
He told her: 'Get on with your life and give it another try in three years!'
Kim Jong Un
While on his tour of Asia this month, Trump tweeted about North Korea Kim Jong Un, sarcastically calling him fat and short.
He wrote: 'Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me 'old,' when I would NEVER call him 'short and fat?'
'Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!' Trump tweeted.'
Fallen soldier's father Khizr Khan
During
his election campaign, Trump criticised Khizr Khan, the father of a
Muslim American soldier who died to protect his unit, after he spoke at
the DNC.
Trump said: 'If you look at
his wife, she was standing there,' Trump said. 'She had nothing to say.
She probably, maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say. You tell
me.'
Khan responded to Trump in TV interviews and Trump replied that Khan 'viciously attacked' him.
Basketball player's father LaVar Ball
Trump last week launched a personal attack on LaVar Ball, calling him 'a poor man's version of Don King, but without the hair'.
The father of LiAngelo Ball, one of three UCLA basketball players arrested in China accused of shoplifting earlier this month, questioned what Trump did to free his son when he appeared on CNN Tonight.
Trump hit back with a 5am Twitter rant in which he branded him a 'fool' and compared him to legendary boxing promoter King.
Democratic mega donor Tom Steyer
Trump
also targeted Democratic mega donor Tom Steyer after he purchased
$10million worth of advertisements that criticized the President.
He
wrote on twitter: 'Wacky & totally unhinged Tom Steyer, who has
been fighting me and my Make America Great Again agenda from beginning,
never wins elections!'
Arizona Senator John McCain
Trump has long clashed with former presidential candidate John McCain, who he says has let down his Arizona constituents.
Trump targeted him saying he came last in his class.
He wrote: SenJohnMcCain should be defeated in the primaries. Graduated last in his class at Annapolis-dummy!'
The
far-right leader who berates Muslims on the street, has already been
convicted of hate crime and is DELIGHTED Trump's retweeted her
- Jayda Fransen is awaiting trial on two separate charges of harassment and abuse
- Donald Trump shared three videos on his personal account to his 44m followers
- The far-right leader is deputy of Britain First - a far-right, anti-immigration party
- She was fined nearly £2,000 for religiously aggravated harassment of a woman
Deputy leader of Britain First, Jayda Fransen arrives at Luton Magistrates Court last year
Donald
Trump today shared three videos posted by the deputy leader of
far-right group Britain First in another anti-Muslim tirade.
Jayda
Fransen, whose Twitter feed is littered with videos and pictures
condemning Islam, is sitting on a charge of using threatening and
abusive language at a rally in Belfast.
She is also expected to appear on religiously aggravated harassment charges next month.
Fransen is renowned for peddling her party's anti-Muslim agenda, and she was clearly delighted Trump decided to share her views.
Using
capital letters, and talking about herself in the third person, she
tweeted: 'The President of the United States Donald Trump has retweeted
three of deputy leader Jayda Fransen's Twitter videos.
'Donald
Trump himself has retweeted these videos and has around 44million
followers. God bless you, Trump. God bless America. OCS.'
OCS is an acronym used by the party which stands for Onwards Christian Soldiers.
Fransen,
formerly of the English Defence League, regularly marches through
cities and towns in the UK holding Christian crosses aloft, which
provokes angry reactions from Muslim members of the community.
During
one of Britain First's so-called Christian Patrols in Luton back in
November 2016, Fransen was convicted of religiously aggravated
harassment after she harassed a Muslim mother-of-four because she was
wearing a hijab.
Britain
First Leader Paul Golding and others including Deputy Leader Jayda
Fransen during far-right demonstration in London in April
She
was fined almost £2,000 as the court heard she told a
mother-of-four that Muslim men force women to cover up to avoid being
raped 'because they cannot control their sexual urges', adding 'that's
why they are coming into my country raping women across the continent'.
Fransen
denied all charges, accusing the courts of being 'absurd', and engaging
in 'a really clear display of Islamic appeasement'.
'The reason I said them was because from everything I have studied, I understand them to be true,' Fransen said in her defence.
She is deputy to Paul Golding, who was spared jail earlier this month after being found guilty of assault.
He
is also facing three charges of religiously aggravated harassment in
relation to the trial of a gang of men who raped a teenager above a
Ramsgate takeaway.
Golding is set for a three day trial next month, alongside Fransen.
Jayda
Fransen was born in London in 1986 and claims to have practised and
studied law for many years before founding a recruitment consultancy.
In
2014, she was elected deputy leader of Britain First and two years
later she took temporary control over the party when Golding was
sentenced to eight weeks in prison for breaching a court order banning
him from entering a mosque or encouraging others to do so in England and
Wales.
The
party's mission statement is issued on its website, and it reads:
'Britain First is a patriotic political party and street movement that
opposes and fights the many injustices that are routinely inflicted on
the British people.
'Our policies are pro-British, our approach is no-nonsense and our principles are not open to compromise.
'We love our people, our nation, our heritage and culture and will defend them at all times and no matter what odds we face.
'The
Britain First movement is not just a normal political group, we are a
patriotic resistance and 'frontline' for our long suffering people.'
Fransen,
31, from Penge, south east London, is facing the court action in
Northern Ireland over a speech she made at an anti-terrorism
demonstration in the city on August 6.
She
was arrested by Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers on
Saturday in Bromley, south east London and taken to Belfast for
questioning.
She has been bailed to appear at Belfast Magistrates' Court on December 14.
Describing
her arrest, she said: 'I was escorted in a police van with four
officers up to Liverpool to catch a ferry. Bearing in mind, I was
arrested at quarter to four, our ferry was 10.30 at night and it arrived
here in Belfast at 6.30 this morning so it's been quite a jaunt.'
She
said police questioned her for around three to four hours, accusing her
of being 'anti-Islamic', and released her after she was charged.
'This
all relates to a speech that I gave at an event over here where I was
invited as a guest speaker, the Northern Ireland Against Terrorism on
the 6 August,' she added.
Britain First leader Paul Golding broke the news to his supporters in a Twitter video on Saturday.
He
said: 'A large group of plain clothes police detectives from Belfast of
all places jumped out of nowhere and have arrested Jayda.
'What
have they arrested her for? Both of us addressed, made a speech, at a
public demonstration outside Belfast City Hall all the way back in
August.
'The detective I spoke to told me she is being flown to Belfast tonight to be interrogated.
'It's absolutely ridiculous - this is non-stop with me and Jayda, non-bloody stop.'
He said his colleague had been arrested for 'no bloody reason'.
Ms
Fransen and Mr Golding were in Belfast on August 6 for a demonstration
by around 50 people calling themselves Northern Ireland Against
Terrorism, which took place on the same day as a republican march
organised by the Anti-Internment League to mark the use of detention
without trial by the British Army during the height of the Troubles in
1971.
Trump shared three videos posted by Fransen.
The first was a clip supposedly showing a Muslim migrant beating up a Dutch boy on crutches.
Seconds later, retweeted a video showing what she claims to be a Muslim man destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary.
And
the third video posted in quick succession to his 43.6million followers
was by far the most disturbing - a video showing an alleged Islamic
group throwing a teenager off a roof before beating him to death.
Trump
then posted his own tweets, first accusing CNN of fake news, then
congratulating his own policies and their impact on the stock market.
The issue was raised in the House of Commons this afternoon by Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee Yvette Cooper MP.
Talking
to the Speaker of the House John Bercow, she said: 'I understand the
woman in question has already been convicted of hate crime in thsi
coutnry.
'And on that basis, given the
significance and the seriousness of having the President of the United
States of America giving her such a huge platform, does he not think it
would be approptiate for us to hear some word of condemnation from the
Home Secretary or the Foreign Secretary?'
There was no response from the Cabinet.
Labour MP for Tottenham also weighed in on the debate, saying: 'Let that sink in.
'The
President of the United States is promoting a fascist, racist,
extremist hate group whose leaders have been arrested and convicted.
'He is no ally or friend of ours. Donald Trump, you are not welcome in my country and my city.'
He
also raised the issue that Thomas Mair shouted 'Britain First' before
murdering his colleague Jo Cox on the eve of the Brexit vote.
'Do not forget that the man who murdered Jo Cox shouted 'Britain First',' he said.
'Trump has gone beyond the pale today.'
Mrs Cox's widower Brendan Cox said: 'Trump has legitimised the far right in his own country, now he's trying to do it in ours.
'Spreading hatred has consequences and the President should be ashamed of himself.'
