Suzanne Kelly, the woman behind the petition to the UK government to ban Trump, has released a summary statement supporting the requested ban. Her petition asks that Donald Trump be banned from the UK for hate speech, as has happened to some 80 people previously.
The petition will be debated on 18th January, along with a counter-petition. Kelly wants to ensure that everyone is aware of all the details.
The actual petition is limited to only a certain number of words by the Petitions Committee. Kelly understands the need for this, but is keen to get further details widely known before the debate.
Kelly is calling David Gladwin out, asking him to debate his pro-Trump petition with her prior to the Parliamentary debate. His petition reads:
“There are proposals to ban Donald Trump from the United Kingdom. At least, there’s a petition on the topic. This is totally illogical.”
Kelly says:
“I’ve no idea who David Gladwin is, but I asked the UK Petitions Committee to ask him to get in touch. If his only argument is that the petition I started, signed now by an unprecedented 570,000 people, is ‘totally illogical’, let’s get him to say why. I also understood that a large number of his petition’s signatures were discounted, and I would like to know what he says about that, too.
“Trump’s hate speech has visible, violent outcomes in America. A homeless Hispanic man was badly beaten in Boston; those who were arrested said words to the effect ‘Donald Trump is right, we have too many immigrants.’ William Celli is accused of trying to make pipe bombs and attack Muslims; he is a Trump supporter who said he would follow Trump ‘to the end of the world.’
“I am particularly worried by Trump’s statement that relatives of terrorists should be ‘taken out’. He says nothing of trial, due process – he just calls for taking people out. Is this an incitement to violence? I believe so. It is as dangerous as his call – made after my petition went live – to ban all Muslims from ENTERING the USA. The US has between 3 to 7 million Muslim citizens.
“He has lumped every follower of this religion into a group he wants to monitor and control, and in so doing tars peaceful people with the same brush as the dangerous terrorist fanatic, I of course condemn terrorism. This is hate speech. This is not free speech. Free speech carries responsibilities; Mr Trump seems completely unaware of this.
“The UK Government now has 570,000 people wanting this ban. They have evidence that Trump’s words have caused injury. They also have the unprecedented condemnation of Trump’s Islamophobic statements by no less than the US Secretary of State and top Pentagon officials. We must ban him. I see no reason to treat a billionaire differently than we have treated those we have already banned.
“I would also suggest that people should go back and look at the Panorama programme ‘The Trouble with Trump.’ The BBC’s investigations certainly seemed to link Donald Trump to an American underworld figure. Trump’s position as I recall was that he couldn’t always know who he was doing deals with. This adds to the ever-growing list of reasons I hope that America will not make him its next president.”
“David Gladwin – or any Trump spokesperson, particularly local Sarah Malone-Bates at the Trump Menie Estate course, I challenge you to a debate before this petition. Let’s hear your views on Trump’s ‘freedom’ to ban travel based on religion, to ‘take people out’ for being related to terrorists (does this apply to William Celli’s family I wonder?) and his ‘freedom’ to continuously, unrepentantly insult people based on race, religion or sex. I really cannot wait to hear your defence of the man.”
Kelly has received a threat – someone wrote to Aberdeen Voice where she is a contributing writer, suggesting she should never leave the UK again as people want to get their hands on her – and that she could be put to work in a cotton field. Of the reaction to the petition Kelly says:
“I started this petition for my neighbours who were targets because of their religion and national origins, for my friends who were insulted because of their race, and my sisters, denigrated for being women. The huge number of signatures signals to me that people are weary of speech designed to drive wedges through communities. There have been far more kind words than threats.
“Donald Trump was stripped of his honorary degree at Robert Gordon University following a petition I started; their values did not match his. On the occasion of losing this degree, Trump said words to the effect he will be a ‘smart and strong’ president. I personally feel that the man has confused ‘smart and strong’ with manipulative and brutishly bullying.”
Kelly has asked Aberdeenshire Council and the Trump International Golf Links Scotland to fix all outstanding planning breaches. This includes removing a giant bund of earth near Leyton Farm Cottage where it blocks the former views to the sea, Kelly finds it ironic that an organisation that wants to stop an offshore clean energy wind project for its visual impact would treat its neighbour in such a manner.
The bund now seems strongly implicated in the flood damage to the road and area by the cottage. Kelly also asked for immediate restoration of fishing access for farmer Michael Forbes. In the BBC Panorama programme ‘the Trouble with Trump’ Donald Trump Jr mocks Forbes for not fishing – his access to fish had long since been blocked by the Trump organisation.
Kelly expects a reply from the council on 13th January. The Trump organisation has refused to reply to date, or take requested remedial actions.
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As a rule, I am generally disinclined to support the banning of individuals, no matter how abhorrent, inflammatory or deliberately provocative their views, not least because I believe everyone has a right to express their views freely and without fear of repercussion. I am, however, willing to make an exception when it comes to Donald Trump, on the basis of consistency, good taste, decency and my own shamelessly excessive and spiralling contempt for the man.
I would, however, given the erstwhile history of publicly requited love and admiration between Mr Trump and Alex Salmond and particularly at a time when Mr Salmond is using Aberdeen Voice to try and publicly distance himself from his former unscrupulous and disreputable racist billionaire of choice, be willing to support the call for a ban on Mr Trump if such a ban could be extended to include his ex golfing buddy, ex First Minister Alex Salmond MP, MSP, Shock Jock etc as well.
It was, of course, the bold Mr Salmond who championed Mr Trump, repeated his false assertions of thousands of jobs and untold riches for the North East, and held private meetings with him prior to the unprecedented Scottish Government decision to breach all planning law and legal protection in relation to an important area of our national heritage by calling in an application that had been properly, legally and democratically rejected by the relevant local authority.That the ex First Minister stood idly by as his emboldened and empowered favourite tycoon went on to ride roughshod over the rights and property of Mr Salmond’s own constituents does, in my humble opinion, suggest that Mr Salmond might be culpable in the nurturing of the apparent Trump megalomania and his ambition to become leader of the “Free World”
Were this not enough, searching questions are now being publicly asked in relation to alleged inconsistencies between Mr Salmond’s promise to donate the publicly funded salary and pension he receives for not being an MSP at Holyrood, to charity and the income and expenditure accounts of the promised beneficiary. Even were such allegations to be false, one can only conclude that Mr Salmond deserves to be banned for his hypocrisy alone.
I really would like to share your words Bruce Wood. This is one of the best responses I have read re the Trump debacle, and one which exposes the role of Salmond, who is, as ever, jumping on the bandwagon and will, in all probability, try to make out it was his idea in the first place to banTrump. He like the man he let loose on the Menie estate, is quite shameless in his assertions. There is one SNP devotee who near enough every day sings the praises on AV facebook page, of Salmond, despite being told and shown repeatedly how his hero has feet of clay, will not ever listen to reason. I shall probably quote one or two of your more choice phrases to him. I especially do like ……”given the erstwhile history of publicly requited love and admiration…….”
Hi Dorothy,
As a fully paid up member of the dogmatic Facebook Resistance movement, I am unaware of the individual you refer to or the sentiments he expresses. Feel free to share but, as you will already know, the myopia and denial of some of the more radical adherents to the nationalist cause can be extremely resistant to factual information and/or knowledge.
Trump is 4 times bankrupt now. The UK does not deserve that!
Oddly, while I strongly oppose the antics of the Mannie Trump, I have not signed this Petition. His views are highly distasteful generally ,and particularly in relation to Muslims, Mexicans and the Disabled. However, has he crossed the line where admission to the UK is a threat to Public Order? By a narrow margin, I don’t think he has…yet. I am keen to see where Mr Gladwin – that name rings a bell somewhere, but I can’t be bothered finding out why – gets his support from. If nothing else, the Petition shows how inimical the Mannie Trum is to values of fairness and tolerance in this country. Irrespective of whether he or Cruz succeed, the Republican Party will find that is true for the bulk of USAShire too.
thanks – just in case you didn’t know, in August in Boston, a homeless Hispanic man was set to by two men with metal poles. They beat him; they broke his nose. The attack was unprovoked. The two men were arrested and told the police ‘Donald Trump is right – we have too many immigrants.’ Trump’s hatemongering is turning into acts of violence, there is no doubt. Under UK law, a ban is more than reasonable. – Suzanne Kelly