London’s Metropolitan police have said Donald Trump “could not be more wrong” when he claimed parts of London were so radicalised that officers feared for their lives.
Politicians also weighed in, with a Downing Street source saying the US presidential hopeful’s comments were “totally inaccurate” and London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, describing them as “utter nonsense”.
In a withering statement, the Met, responsible for policing the British capital, said: “We would not normally dignify such comments with a response, however, on this occasion we think it’s important to state to Londoners that Mr Trump could not be more wrong.”
The statement continued: “Any candidate for the presidential election in the United States of America is welcome to receive a briefing from the Met police on the reality of policing London.”
In a bid to justify his controversial comments that Muslims should be barred from entering the US, Trump had said parts of London and Paris were so “radicalised” – seemingly a reference to Islamist extremism being rife – that police officers were scared.
“Paris is no longer the safe city it was. They have sections in Paris that are radicalised, where the police refuse to go there. They’re petrified. The police refuse to go in there,” he told MSNBC, refusing to name specific neighbourhoods in the city.
He added: “We have places in London and other places that are so radicalised that the police are afraid for their own lives. We have to be very smart and very vigilant.”
The Met initially had considered not making a statement but felt the claim was potentially damaging and false, and should be rebutted.
A Downing Street source, meanwhile, said: “For the second time today, we have to completely disagree with Mr Trump. His comments are totally inaccurate.”
Downing Street had taken the unusual step of criticising a potential candidate for the US presidency after Trump issued a campaign statement 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 statement, made after the San Bernardino shooting, prompted the prime minister’s spokeswoman to describe Trump’s comments as “divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong”.
Johnson also ridiculed Trump’s comments, saying: “The only reason I wouldn’t go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump.
“As a city where more than 300 languages are spoken, London has a proud history of tolerance and diversity and to suggest there are areas where police officers cannot go because of radicalisation is simply ridiculous.”
Trump’s comments came in the wake of last week’s attack in San Bernardino, California, where a Muslim couple believed to have been radicalised shot 14 dead at a health centre.
The business magnate’s outburst attracted criticism from both London mayoral hopefuls. Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative mayoral candidate and MP for Richmond Park, described Trump’s position as “repellent” and said the Republican candidate was “an appalling creature” and “one of the most malignant figures in politics”.
Sadiq Khan, Labour’s candidate and MP for Tooting, said Trump did not have a clue about London. “He is clearly ignorant about London’s tolerance and diversity and also about how unified we are as a city,” he said. “More importantly, he should apologise for pretending to speak on behalf of our police, who do such an incredible job keeping our city safe. Trump can’t just be dismissed as a buffoon – his comments are outrageous, divisive and dangerous – I condemn them utterly and hope his campaign dies a death.”
Reaction in Paris has been similarly dismissive. Christophe Najdovski, a Green party deputy mayor in charge of transport in Paris, told the Guardian: “These comments are totally untrue. The best thing is to invite Donald Trump to Paris and show him what he’s saying is absolutely false. He can come here to Paris with us and walk around in complete security in every district.”
Colombe Brossel, the Socialist deputy mayor in charge of security and urban affairs, tweeted Trump from a “must-go” area of the 18th arrondissement in northern Paris, saying he did not know the city’s working-class neighbourhoods.
En direct d'une must go zone du #18eme . Cc @realDonaldTrump qui ne connaît pas les quartiers populaires de @Paris pic.twitter.com/vznqTlYI0H
— Colombe Brossel (@CBrossel) December 8, 2015
A Paris city spokesperson said: “Clearly these comments show a lack of knowledge of Paris. Mr Trump is picking up an argument already used by Fox News, which is the subject of a legal complaint that has been filed by City Hall and which has already been disproved by numerous French and American media.”
When Fox News reported in the wake of January’s attacks on the magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket that there were “no-go zones” in Paris where non-Muslims and police were afraid to go, Paris’s Socialist mayor, Anne Hidalgo, sued the broadcaster. Hidalgo said at the time “the image of Paris” and the “honour of Paris” had been harmed.
Paris City Hall said of Trump’s comments: “While terrorism knows no borders, hitting France just like the US, that has in no way taken away the fact that Paris is a safe and welcoming city.”
Officials pointed out that numerous American personalities were able to see for themselves how safe Paris was last week when they came to a local leaders climate summit in the capital – including Michael Bloomberg, the mayors of Los Angeles and Chicago, a delegation of senators, Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Redford.
A spokesperson for Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, Hilary Benn, also condemned Trump’s statement, saying: “Hilary was appalled by his comments which have caused deep offence and sought to divide communities for political gain when we should be bringing people together.”
The Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, said: “Donald Trump’s latest utterances are politics at its worst – blaming whole groups and communities with sweeping statements. For someone who is trying to be president of America it frankly shows why he is utterly unsuited for the role.
“Trump says these things lightly; but his words have a consequence. They set the tone for public debate. Frankly, he should be ashamed of these comments, but sadly they are the latest in long line of utterances that would be considered by anyone to be completely reprehensible.”
