London Mayor Sadiq Khan stood up for Rep. Ilhan Omar and the rest of “The Squad” as he joined dozens of British politicians in condemning US President Donald Trump‘s “blatant unashamed racism” against the fourDemocratic congresswomen.
Writing on Twitter on Thursday, Khan said the four women “represent hope for the future.” The Mayor, who like Omar is Muslim, added that “their home is America, but their message crosses borders.”
Khan, who has clashed with Trump on previous occasions, was also among British politicians who signed an open letter of solidarity along with almost 14,000 other signatories.
This was addressed to Omar, the Minnesota representative, and her three colleagues Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
The letter, written by the campaign group Hope Not Hate and circulated on Thursday, said: “We are disgusted by Donald Trump’s attack on you. His blatant, unashamed racism has appalled people around the world.”
The message was also signed by opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and two trade union general secretaries.
“You embody the best of America. Its diversity is its strength,” the letter said, adding: “Thank you for showing the world that America can still provide leadership to be proud of, even when the White House has abdicated that role. We stand in solidarity with you.”
The support came after Trump spent significant portion of his Monday campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina, attacking the congresswomen. As Trump made a litany of accusations against them, the crowd chanted: “Send her back!” Trump made no effort to stop the chant, pausing during his remarks as the chant grew louder.
Khan and Trump have repeatedly sparred in public, most recently during the President’s state visit to the UK in June.
The London mayor wrote it was “un-British to roll out the red carpet” for Trump since his behavior “flies in the face of the ideals America was founded on — equality, liberty and religious freedom.”
Trump reacted by calling Khan a “stone cold loser,” a remark Khan later told CNN was “the sort of behavior I would expect from an 11-year-old.”
Trump has been attacking the four congresswomen since on Sunday when he told them to “go back” to their “crime infested” countries. Three of the four were born in the US, while Omar was born in Somalia and came to the US as a refugee in 2000. She became an American citizen when she was 17, according to the New York Times.
Omar responded to the Greenville rally with a tweeton Wednesday evening, quoting poet Maya Angelou.
“You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise,” she wrote.