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John Legend is demanding that Donald Trump apologise for ‘demonising Muslims’ after 50 people were killed in shootings in two mosques in New Zealand – with the shooter having cited the US president in his manifesto.
The singer said: “He [Donald Trump] needs to apologise for demonising Muslims.”
Speaking to NowThis about the terror attack, for which one man has been arrested and another two are in custody. Legend said:
He needs to apologise for demonising brown people who have tried to come here and have a better life. He characterises their desire to come here and work and feed their family as an invasion.’
Legend added that such rhetoric “emboldens” people with “a hateful ideology.”
When people of such influence and such stature are endorsing such a hateful, evil ideology, it emboldens those who will go out and do something really evil and nasty, like what happened in New Zealand.
We need the president to speak out against it.
They need to make it clear that it’s not acceptable for us to use this kind of violent rhetoric that leads to this kind of violent action.
Donald Trump has often used inflammatory language to talk about immigration.
During his presidential campaign in 2016 he declared that Mexicans coming to America were “rapists” and drug traffickers.
When attacks are perpetrated by Muslims, Trump has come in full guns blazing with his criticism. During the Paris killing, he was quick to blame immigration, tweeting:
Everyone is now saying how right I was with illegal immigration & the wall. After Paris, they’re all on the bandwagon.
After the Orlando shooting which killed 49 people, he called on the end of “radical Islamic terrorism.” Trump tweeted:
Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don't want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart!
However, when asked if he thinks there is a rise in white nationalism globally following New Zealand’s worst mass murder in over 200 years, Trump denied it. “I don’t really,” Trump replied.
I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems.
Legend insisted that the there is in fact a rise in white nationalism – and Trump needs to be tackling it.
White nationalism is a "global threat" which has inspiration '"coming from America right now, and the American president.”
Our American president needs to say, 'This is evil. I don't endorse it. I don't embrace it. I'm not winking at it. I'm not equivocating about it. This is evil and I speak out against it.'
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