U.S. President Donald J. Trump retweeted inflammatory videos from a far-right British group on Wednesday drawing criticism from civil rights groups and a spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May.
The videos Mr. Trump retweeted were posted by Jayda Fransen, deputy leader of Britain First political group that opposes multiculturalism and “Islamization.” They allegedly showed violence committed by Muslims.
“VIDEO: Islamist mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!”; “VIDEO: Muslim Destroys a Statue of Virgin Mary!”; “VIDEO: Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!” clip captions said.
James Slack, Ms. May’s spokesperson, said the group intended to divide communities by using “hateful narratives which peddle lies and stoke tensions.”
Mr. Trump did not explain his retweets, but White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in an interview the president wanted to “promote strong borders and strong national security.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations and national legal advocacy and educational organization Muslim Advocates condemned Mr. Trump’s tweets.