Donald Trump retweets far-right group's anti-Muslim videos

  • 30/11/2017

US President Donald Trump has retweeted anti-Muslim videos that were originally posted by a leader of a far-right British party.

As a candidate, Mr Trump called for "a Muslim ban" and, as President, has issued executive orders banning entry from some citizens of multiple countries, although courts have partially blocked them from taking effect.

Jayda Fransen, a leader of the anti-immigrant Britain First group, posted the videos on Wednesday, saying they showed a group of people who are Muslim beating a teenage boy to death, battering a boy on crutches and destroying a Christian statue.

Reuters was unable to immediately verify the videos.

Ms Fransen, along with the fringe group's head, was arrested in September and charged with causing religiously aggravated harassment over the distribution of leaflets and posting online videos during the court trial involving the case of a number of Muslim men accused and later convicted of rape.

"Donald Trump himself has retweeted these videos and has around 44 million followers! God bless you Trump!" Britain First wrote in a post. Its account has about 24,000 followers.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's office says President Donald Trump was wrong to retweet the videos.

"It is wrong for the President to have done this," the spokesman said on Wednesday.

"Britain First seeks to divide communities through their use of hateful narratives which peddle lies and stoke tensions. They cause anxiety to law-abiding people.

"British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far-right which is the antithesis of the values that this country represents: decency tolerance and respect."

Reuters