London Mayor Sadiq Khan has likened the language used by Donald Trump to rally his supporters to that of “the fascists of the 20th century”, in an intervention published before the US president’s state visit to the UK. Writing in the Observer, Khan condemned the red-carpet treatment afforded to Trump, who will be a guest of the Queen during his three-day stay, expected to provoke mass protests.
Khan said Trump was “one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat” and accused the president of using divisive tropes similar to historical fascists. He also criticised Trump for interfering in the Conservative leadership race by backing Boris Johnson, and for describing the Duchess of Sussex as “nasty” in interviews with British media.
Jeremy Corbyn described Trump’s comments on the leadership contest as “an entirely unacceptable interference”, while Liberal Democrat deputy leader Jo Swinson said Johnson and Trump were “cut from the same cloth”. Commons leader Mel Stride expressed surprise at Trump’s remarks, though noted the president was entitled to his opinion.
Organisers of Tuesday’s protests expect at least 250,000 people to demonstrate against Trump and his policies. Alena Ivanova from Another Europe is Possible said the protests target “Trumpism” and its links to Brexit, which she described as a “threat to our basic rights and freedoms”.
