Donald Trump has hit back against U.K. critics of his stand against Islam, saying Britain had “a massive Muslim problem”. The leading Republican presidential contender, who prompted outrage around the world on Monday by calling for Muslims to be barred from entering the U.S. following the San Bernardino shooting, also praised controversial British commentator Katie Hopkins after she supported his position in an interview on Fox News.
Political backlash “The politicians of the U.K. should watch Katie Hopkins… many people in the U.K. agree with me,” Mr. Trump tweeted. In another tweet, he said: “The United Kingdom is trying hard to disguise their massive Muslim problem. Everybody is wise to what is happening, very sad! Be honest.” On Wednesday, Mr. Trump attracted a political backlash in Britain when he claimed there were parts of London so radicalised that police officers feared for their lives. The comments were rejected by Downing Street, which said they were “totally inaccurate”, and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who said they were “utter nonsense”.
The Scottish government has dropped Mr. Trump from his role as a business ambassador, and Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen has stripped him of his honorary degree. On Thursday, Ms. Hopkins used an appearance on Fox to highlight a petition signed by more than 300,000 people calling for Mr. Trump be banned from Britain following his inflammatory speech in South Carolina. She said: “A quarter of the population here in the U.K. are right behind Donald Trump.” The petition become the most popular ever campaign on the U.K. government’s website on Thursday.