LONDON — Anger erupted on Saturday – along with some praise from the far-right – about U.S. President Trump’s ban on refugees entering the United States.
Here is a sampling of some reactions:
“Europe is facing a moment of truth. The issue is populism. What we are hearing from the U.S. encourages populism and even extremism. They are saying that Europe should not take immigrants, shouldn’t stay together, not believe in climate change.
“We should engage in discussions (with the U.S.) that sometimes should be very firm. And as long as there are statements from the U.S. president about Europe, when he speaks about the model of Brexit for other countries, when the U.S. president talks about climate change … saying he’s not convinced of it, we should respond to him. When he takes protectionist measures, we should respond to him. When he destabilizes the economies of other countries, not only European ones, we should respond to him. When he rejects the arrival of refugees, while Europe has done its duty, we should respond to him.”
– French President Francois Hollande
“You cannot settle this (refugee) issue by building walls. Nobody leaves their homes for nothing.”
Turkey has admitted some 3 million Syrian refugees since the start of the war in its neighbor.
“They came here to save their lives and our doors were open. And if the same thing happened again, we would do it again.”
– Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim
Donald Trump should not “turn his back on the world’s most defenseless children and families.” Refugees and immigrants, she says “have helped build your country.”
– Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai
Those seeking to create walls between nations “have forgotten that the Berlin Wall collapsed years ago.”
– Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
“‘Love thy neighbor’ is part of this (American Christian) tradition, the act of helping others.”
– German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel
“We have signed international obligations, so welcoming refugees fleeing war and oppression forms part of our duties.”
– French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault
“Like many of you, I’m concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump.
“We need to keep this country safe, but we should do that by focusing on people who actually pose a threat. Expanding the focus of law enforcement beyond people who are real threats would make all Americans less safe by diverting resources, while millions of undocumented folks who don’t pose a threat will live in fear of deportation.”
– Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg
Trump’s decision “will not make America safer, it will make America smaller and meaner.”
– Norwegian Refugee Council
“The United States is responsible for the United States’ policy on refugees.”
– British Prime Minister Theresa May
“President Trump is right. I built a wall along Israel’s southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration. Great success. Great idea.”
– Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Comments are no longer available on this story