The Mayor of London has declared that western democracy is threatened by “resurgent fascism”, the weekend before Donald Trump’s second inauguration in Washington DC.
Labour’s Sadiq Khan demanded tighter laws on harmful online content, as he urged minister to tackle extremist threats head on.
Eagerly fuelling his longstanding feud with the President-elect, Khan declared that Trump’s return signals “deeply worrying times” – in particular for minority communities, he wrote for The Observer.
He added that right wing leaders ascending as prominent figures in modern politics are merely “opportunists who seek to divide people for personal and political gain”.
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Pointing to the rise of Germany’s AfD, France’s National Rally, as well as Trump’s return to the White House, Khan encouraged a “renewed and concerted effort to confront these forces and expose them for what they are”.
In a thinly veiled jab at Elon Musk, Khan criticised, “financial backers who selfishly choose to put the profits of their companies over the interests of our democracies”.
“Progressives across the Western world face a century-defining challenge – and the stakes for liberal democracy couldn’t be higher,” he wrote.
“The far-right is on the march. These are deeply worrying times, especially if you’re a member of a minority community. As historians and commentators increasingly find echoes of the 1920s and 30s in the present day, we cannot afford to throw in the towel.
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“We should be in no doubt, this is a perilous moment. The spectre of a resurgent fascism haunts the West…
“To ward off the far-right, we must be unflinching in defence of our democracy and values, and in our determination to enhance the welfare and material conditions of our communities.”
Khan’s comments follow a statement from foreign secretary David Lammy in which he insisted that he was “not in the business of condemning our closest ally” when questioned on Donald Trump’s attempt to take Greenland, as well as the Panama Canal.
Previously, the Labour minister called the President-elect “a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath”.
Donald Trump’s inauguration will take place tomorrow in Washington DC
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Responding to the controversial comments, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones has distanced his Cabinet from Khan’s comments as he said that the mayor is “allowed” to make such comments, he added that he speaks “on behalf of the Government”, and “we don’t agree with it”.
He also asserted that the soon-to-be President won “an enormous election victory in the US”, saying: “As a democracy we support democracy and the American people elected Donald Trump and the Republican party.”
When the Labour mayor won his third term in the role last May, Khan declared that his victory suggested that Londoners had “slammed the door shut” on Trump’s “hard-right populism”.
Khan did not rush to congratulate the Republican on his electoral victory in November, although he did eventually make a statement to Trump later on.
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