During a time of despair in London, Donald Trump Jr. used his father’s favorite means of communication, Twitter, to attack the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, who is the first Muslim to govern the capital of a major Western country.
In London on Wednesday fivepeople were killed and about 40 were injured in what police called a “marauding terrorist attack.” A car plowed into pedestrians and a police officer was stabbed close to Britain’s parliament.The assailant and the officer did not survive. The other three victims were among those hit by the car as it sped across Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings.
Trump took the opportunity to criticize Khan by sharing a headline on social media that was published last year and is taken out of context:
You have to be kidding me!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan https://t.co/uSm2pwRTjO
Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 22, 2017
Khan’scomplete quote is: “Part and parcel of living in a great global city is you have to be prepared for these sorts of things, you have to be vigilant, you have to support the police doing an incredibly hard job, you have to support the security services.”
He added, “Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe. I want to be reassured that every single agency and individual involved in protecting our city has the resources and expertise they need to respond in the event that London is attacked.”
In the2016 article, Khan was speaking before a meeting with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio the day after three bombs exploded in New York City and nearby towns, injuring 29 people.He said the attacks had given him a sleepless night as he thought about dangers faced by big Western cities.
Khan released a video statement Wednesday on Twitter with the caption: “Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism.”
In the video he said, in part, “Today London suffered a horrific attack near Parliament Square, which we are treating as a terrorist attack. A number of people have lost their lives and at least 20 people have been injured.
“My heart goes out to all those who have lost loved ones, and to everyone who has been affected.
“I want to reassure all Londoners and all our visitors not to be alarmed our city remains one of the safest in the world.”
Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. pic.twitter.com/LTLhgZ7OLQ
Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) March 22, 2017
British officials have showed support for Khan. A member of parliament from the Labour Party, Wes Streeting, replied directly to Trump on Twitter:
@DonaldJTrumpJr You use a terrorist attack on our city to attack London’s Mayor for your own political gain. You’re a disgrace.
Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) March 22, 2017
This isn’t the first time one of Trump’s tweets has caused controversy. In September he tweeted out a photo comparing Syrian refugees to Skittles, which caused outrage and response on social media from political figures.
“This image says it all. Let’s end the politically correct agenda that doesn’t put America first. #trump2016,” he tweeted, with a graphic of a bowl of Skittles that said: “If I had a bowl of Skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful That’s our Syrian refugee problem.”
