Theresa May: Trump's Retweeting of an Extremist Group's Videos Was Wrong

Theresa May, the Prime Minister of the UK, stated that she is not afraid to criticize a major ally of London and emphasized that Donald Trump's retweeting of a "hate-filled" video from the far-right group "Britain First" was "wrong." The US President retweeted three videos from the far-right group on Wednesday, which sparked widespread reactions in the UK. A spokesperson for Theresa May also described the retweeting of these tweets by the US President as "wrong" on Thursday. Theresa May said, "The fact that we work together does not mean we should be afraid to say when we think the United States has made a mistake and to say it very clearly." The Prime Minister of the UK asserted, "I am very clear that retweeting from 'Britain First' was a wrong action." According to the Associated Press, speaking in Amman, the capital of Jordan, Theresa May called the anti-Islam and anti-immigration group "Britain First" a "hateful organization" that, according to her, contradicts the "public decency and principles of the UK." In response to the UK Prime Minister, Donald Trump tweeted that Theresa May should focus on "radical Islamic terrorism and the destruction that is taking place in the UK" instead of him. Theresa May responded by saying that the UK takes the need to deal with "this terrorist threat very seriously." Theresa May was among the first leaders to visit Donald Trump in Washington after his inauguration and invited him to visit the UK at the highest level. Opponents of Donald Trump's visit to the UK have once again called for the cancellation of the US President's official trip following these tweets. On Thursday, several Members of Parliament in the UK called for the cancellation of this meeting. Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, also joined the opponents of Donald Trump's visit to the UK on that day. The Mayor of London said Donald Trump has promoted a "disgusting and extremist" group, and therefore no one welcomes his official visit. However, Theresa May stated that the official visit of Donald Trump as President of the United States remains in place. The Associated Press writes that Trump's retweeting of the videos from the "Britain First" group, which has 44 million followers, was a significant promotion for this group. Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of "Britain First," tweeted: "Donald Trump himself retweeted these videos, which about 44 million people follow! Trump, God bless you!" Fransen was tried and convicted for assaulting a veiled woman in 2016 and ordered to pay damages. Sarah Sanders, the White House spokesperson, said on Wednesday regarding Trump's retweeting of these tweets: "I think his (Trump's) goal was to emphasize strong borders and strong national security." The White House spokesperson stated that Trump's aim with these tweets was to spark discussion about the importance of maintaining borders and national security.