A Tory minister took a stand against Donald Trump's retweeting of hateful propaganda by quoting Harry Potter's headmaster - Albus Dumbledore.
Sam Gyimah expressed he was "deeply uncomfortable" about Donald Trump's visit to the U.K. on Thursday night's episode of BBC Question Time because of the president's recent retweeting of propoganda videos from an anti-Muslim group, Britain First.
"What Donald Trump did recently I think has definitely crossed a line," said the Conservative Party politician, who serves as a member the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education.
Unfortunately, he couldn't own the words that followed next because, for Harry Potter fans, it sounded too familiar. "It takes great bravery to stand up to your enemies. It takes even more bravery to stand up to your friends," he said, with a dignified smirk. Too bad the mantra wasn't exactly Gyimah's to declare.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore previously made that exact declaration in the Great Hall within the wizarding school of Hogwarts at the conclusion of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
The Justice Minister was supporting Prime Minister Theresa May admonishing Trump for retweeting controversial footage from Britain First. "The fact that we work together does not mean that we are afraid to say when we think that the United States have got it wrong and to be very clear with them. I am very clear that retweeting from Britain First was the wrong thing to do," May said, while U.K. ambassador to Washington, Sir Kim Darroch, anticipated an apology from the president after raising the issue.
&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2017%2Fnov%2F30%2Ftheresa-may-not-afraid-to-criticise-donald-trumpMay added, “Britain First is a hateful organization. It seeks to spread division and mistrust in our communities. It stands in fundamental opposition to the values that we share as a nation – values of respect, tolerance and, dare I say it, common decency.”
According to The Guardian, Trump retweeted videos from the account of the far-right group's deputy leader, Jayda Fransen. One video purportedly showed a boy being pushed off a roof by a group of Muslims. Another video showed a Muslim defacing a Virgin Mary statue. The third claimed to show a Muslim immigrant attacking a boy on crutches.
To deflect criticism, Trump later tweeted suggesting that the Prime Minister should focus on fighting terrorism rather than wasting time scrutinizing him.
Gyimah expressed his disdain for Trump's visit to the U.K., saying "I am deeply uncomfortable because he is deliberately divisive, and this would be divisive at a time when we are trying to unite our country."
Dumbledore could have said it just as eloquently.
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