LONDON: London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called upon the British government to cancel a state visit from President Trump after Trump criticized his response to this weekend’s terror attacks in London.
“I don’t think we should roll out the red carpet to the president of the USA in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for,” Khan said in an interview with Britain’s Channel 4 News.
“When you have a special relationship it is no different from when you have got a close mate. You stand with them in times of adversity but you call them out when they are wrong. There are many things about which Donald Trump is wrong.”
Trump criticized Khan for his comments following the weekend terror attack in London that killed at least seven people and wounded dozens more.
“At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is ‘no reason to be alarmed!'” Trump tweeted Sunday morning.
Trump appeared to be referencing Khan’s comments earlier in the day in which he said there was no reason to worry about the increased police presence in London.
‘Trump can’t divide our community’
Khan accused Trump of seeking to divide communities in Britain after the US president criticised his leadership following a terror attack in the city.
“Some people thrive on feud and division. We are not going to let Donald Trump divide our communities,” Khan told the BBC.
He also told Sky News: “I just haven’t got time to respond to tweets from Donald Trump.
“Honestly I’ve got better and more important things to focus on.”
Trump accused Khan — London’s first Muslim mayor — of offering a “pathetic excuse” for comments that the US president earlier misconstrued about policing in response to Saturday’s attack, which left seven people dead.
Khan had told Londoners there was “no reason to be alarmed” about an increased police presence in the coming days.
Khan has previously called for Trump to be denied a state visit in Britain. He pointed to Trump’s executive order barring refugees and people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. as his reason, calling the order “cruel.”
“In those circumstances, we shouldn’t be rolling out the red carpet,” he said.
