A petition calling for Donald Trump to be banned from entering the UK has attracted more than 170,000 signatures — more than enough for a committee to consider sending the motion for parliamentary debate.
The petition to block the front-running Republican presidential candidate from entering the country was created on the British government’s official petitions website in response to Trump’s call Monday to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. due to the threat of terrorism.
“The UK has banned entry to many individuals for hate speech. The same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the UK,” read the petition, which was created by Suzanne Kelly.
“If the United Kingdom is to continue applying the ‘unacceptable behavior’ criteria to those who wish to enter its borders, it must be fairly applied to the rich as well as poor, and the weak as well as powerful.”
170,000 and counting
By midafternoon Wednesday, the petition had gained more than 170,000 signatures, and the number was climbing rapidly.
Any petition that gets more than 100,000 signatures is considered by Parliament’s Petitions Committee, which weighs whether to send the petition for debate by lawmakers in Parliament.
The committee will consider what to do with the petition on January 5, according to the House of Commons information office.
The Home Office told CNN that the home secretary has the power to exclude individuals, but there is currently no suggestion that this would be the case with Trump.
Brits peeved
Trump’s remarks prompted outrage at home and internationally. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the comments effectively “disqualifies him from serving as president.”
His followup remarks a day later — that parts of London were so radicalized that British police feared for their lives — particularly rankled in the UK, and drew a sharp response from London Mayor Boris Johnson.
“Donald Trump’s ill-informed comments are complete and utter nonsense,” Johnson said. “The only reason I wouldn’t go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump.”
