President Donald Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom has been met with widespread criticism, prompting 250 legal academics to urge Prime Minister Theresa May to cut off support for the United States until Trump changes his stances on immigration, climate change and judicial independence, among others. Law scholars from several universities signed a letter indicating their disapproval as a group over the prime minister’s plans for the UK government and Trump’s administration to be aligned.
The Guardian reported how these distinguished law academics from Kent, Cambridge, Birmingham and other universities and institutions are also standing up against Trump’s visit to the UK as it can have adverse effects on current policies. They warned May’s approach towards establishing a close relationship with Trump, saying that it will bring on suffering for many due to his disrespect for discriminatory policies.
In their letter, the scholars plainly suggested that the Trump’s presidential ruling can only be characterized by racism, misogyny, xenophobia and homophobia. They also pointed out that the U.S. president disregards current U.S. responsibilities under the international law. Therefore, strengthening ties with the U.S. at this time, including the acceptance of Trump’s visit to the U.K., will directly result to distress and discrimination.
“We can only hope that this self-serving program will, in the long-term, set in motion a demand for real change that governments and communities across the world will be forced to answer,” the letter noted. The legal professional staff members and other academics who took part in signing the letter expressed their worries over their role as educators-teaching and studying law in an open and democratic society. On the other hand, Trump’s approach to legislation undermines their duties as legal educators and students.
The academics then called on the prime minister to cancel Trump’s visit to the UK and to take away the support of the British government for the U.S. until troubling policies have been changed and switched around. “If you do not, we fear that the United Kingdom will find itself, like Trump, on the wrong side of history, with extremely worrying consequences for us all,” the law scholars’ letter concluded.
A government spokesman responded to the letter and explained the administration’s stance in Trump’s visit to the UK. “We have a long-standing, strong and special relationship with the United States and where there are areas of disagreement the prime minister will continue to say so,” he said. According to The Telegraph, May formally rejected a petition signed by nearly 2 million people to abandon Trump’s visit to the U.K., saying that such move will be a cause of embarrassment for the Queen and the royal family.
