Donald Trump's latest comments about banning Muslims in America has drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum, some of the sharpest disapproval he has faced since announcing his candidacy.
But a UK petition this week aims to turn the blanket claim on its head—by getting Trump banned from entering the UK.
The petition, started by Briton Suzanne Kelly, asserts that Trump's words are hate speech and warrant a ban under the 'unacceptable behavior' criteria. The British government has banned figures in the past for hate speech, and as Kelly argues, the same metric should be applied to Trump.
In order to force a response from the UK government, the petition needs 15,000 signatures. In the past few days that it has started, it has garnered over 70,000 signatures and is still increasing. The set goal of the petition is 100,000 signatures, which would allow its debated in the House of Commons.
This is not the first time a petition to the UK Parliament has been circulated against a prominent political figure. Earlier this year, Damian Moran sent out a petition calling for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on war crimes charges during an upcoming visit to London. Though the petition had almost reached the threshold of 100,000 signatures, the government released a statement asserting that Netanyahu was granted diplomatic immunity that prevented his arrest.
Whether Trump's petition will reach the required 100,000 signatures is still up for debate, but Trump himself sure doesn't show any signs of backtracking.
Wow, what a day. So many foolish people that refuse to acknowledge the tremendous danger and uncertainty of certain people coming into U.S.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2015
If you live in the UK and want to add your name to the petition, here's the link. Godspeed England.
