British PM says 'no equivalence' in US clashes
Trump has sparked a political firestorm by giving views that there was "blame on both sides" for Saturday's violence
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May stands on the flight deck as she speaks to crew members of the 65,000-tonne British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth after it arrived at Portsmouth Naval base, its new home port, in Portsmouth, southern England on August 16, 2017. PHOTO: AFP
LONDON:
Far-right views should always be condemned and there could be no equivalence with opponents of fascism, British Prime Minister Theresa May said Wednesday in comments that implicitly criticised US President Donald Trump.
In the Virginia college town of Charlottesville on Saturday, a rally by neo-Nazis and white supremacists over the removal of a Confederate statue erupted in clashes with counter-demonstrators.
Trump has sparked a political firestorm by reiterating his views Tuesday that there was "blame on both sides" for Saturday's violence.
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The melee ended in bloodshed when a 20-year-old suspected Nazi sympathiser ploughed his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters, leaving one woman dead and 19 people injured.
Asked about Trump's comments in the wake of the Charlottesville violence, May said: "I see no equivalence between those who propound fascist views and those who oppose them. I think it is important for all those in positions of responsibility to condemn far-right views wherever we hear them."
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"I absolutely abhor the racism, the hatred and the violence that we have seen portrayed by these groups," she told reporters in Portsmouth on the southern English coast.
"The United Kingdom has taken action to ban far-right groups here, we have proscribed certain far-right groups," she added.
Trump, who has denounced racism and singled out the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis as "criminals and thugs", has also hit out at what he called the "alt-left" over the weekend violence.
He has faced days of criticism from across the political spectrum over his reaction to the unrest.
Far-right views should always be condemned and there could be no equivalence with opponents of fascism, British Prime Minister Theresa May said Wednesday in comments that implicitly criticised US President Donald Trump.
In the Virginia college town of Charlottesville on Saturday, a rally by neo-Nazis and white supremacists over the removal of a Confederate statue erupted in clashes with counter-demonstrators.
Trump has sparked a political firestorm by reiterating his views Tuesday that there was "blame on both sides" for Saturday's violence.
Britain's May to stay as PM until at least 2020, close ally predict
The melee ended in bloodshed when a 20-year-old suspected Nazi sympathiser ploughed his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters, leaving one woman dead and 19 people injured.
Asked about Trump's comments in the wake of the Charlottesville violence, May said: "I see no equivalence between those who propound fascist views and those who oppose them. I think it is important for all those in positions of responsibility to condemn far-right views wherever we hear them."
Theresa May might face coup from opposition after disagreements
"I absolutely abhor the racism, the hatred and the violence that we have seen portrayed by these groups," she told reporters in Portsmouth on the southern English coast.
"The United Kingdom has taken action to ban far-right groups here, we have proscribed certain far-right groups," she added.
Trump, who has denounced racism and singled out the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis as "criminals and thugs", has also hit out at what he called the "alt-left" over the weekend violence.
He has faced days of criticism from across the political spectrum over his reaction to the unrest.