This article was written as a university assignment to write a curated feature. 

A petition calling for Donald trump to be banned from UK entry now has over half a million signatures. So many in fact, that it will now be debated in parliament and broadcast live from the commons.

So how did Trump go from being regarded by Brits as ‘the American Alan Sugar‘ to a hate figure in the space of a few months?

‘Largely irrelevant’

Until recently, real estate magnate and television personality Donald Trump has fallen into the category of ‘rich, American and largely irrelevant’ in the minds of the British public. You might be surprised to learn that not only has the $4 Billion businessman filed for corporate bankruptcy  four times, but also has a long history of trying get into power.

Bold claims

Trump has made many improbable claims so far in his campaign, and many of his staunch right wing policies  have not been met with much more than eye-rolls by the press. It’s hard to know how seriously to take someone who seems to be a parody of themselves.  One statement, however, caught the UK’s attention.

Trump stated “We have places in London, and other places, that are so radicalised, that the police are afraid for their own lives” in an interview with MSNBC in early December .  This sparked responses from the Metropolitan police, David Cameron and Boris Johnson, condemning him. Johnson, now famously, quipped “Crime has been falling steadily both in London and in New York – the only reason I wouldn’t go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump”.

The outlandish claim sparked the hashtag #Trumpfacts .

https://twitter.com/lexanderjmartin/status/674288659416395776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The comments were made by Trump in an attempt to justify his anti-immigration policies, using London as an example. The incident brought Trump’s campaign into focus and gave many Britons an increased awareness of his anti-Muslim stance. A recent press release stated:

“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on”

The fledgling petition started by Aberdeen-based campaigner Suzanne Kelly to block Trump’s entry to the UK swiftly caught press attention. Within hours signatories leapt into the hundreds of thousands.

Despite the negative response, Trump went on to make further inflammatory claims about Britain.

This further fuelled the support for the petition, which states:

“The UK has banned entry to many individuals for hate speech. The same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the UK.

If the United Kingdom is to continue applying the ‘unacceptable behaviour’ 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.”

This prompted an official, albeit slightly ambiguous response from the Home Secretary. The wording suggested that a ban was possible, stating “The Home Secretary may exclude a non-European Economic Area national from the UK if she considers their presence in the UK to be non-conducive to the public good”.  The statement was widely reported across U.S news networks. The responses from the American public ranged from outrage…

To calls for the response from Britain to be taken seriously.

Mein Kampf

The comparison of Donald Trump to Hitler is one that has come up time and time again. Trump was keen to shrug off statements, stating he was not concerned by them “because what I’m doing is no different than FDR, a president who is highly respected by all”.  A counter-comparison which some of Trump’s supporters are keen to point out to the opposition.

While the thought of the ‘new-Hitler’ having free access to the country was enough cause for many Britons to sign the petition, another comparison felt more relevant to others.

Unexpected response

Using a false account of London to justify an anti-Muslim policy was unlikely to garner Trump with any support from Britain. However, It was hard to imagine the subject of him being denied entry to the UK debated in parliament, even as recently as a month ago.
“I never in my wildest dreams imagined it would get so many signatures” said Suzanne Kelly, speaking to the Guardian “I’ve been as shocked as anyone, although pleasantly so”.

While standing against trump’s values may seem a natural position for the UK, it should be noted there is British politician who is also known for arguably xenophobic statements whose party received 3.8 million votes in the last general election. Considering this, it seems improbable that the entirety of the public is so vehemently opposed to Trump as it seems. Whether or not the ban will go ahead, and whether it will ultimately matter, we shall soon see.