European governments condemn Trump’s statements on Charlottesville
By
Alex Lantier
18 August 2017
Donald Trump’s defense of Nazi and white supremacist protests in Charlottesville that led to the killing of counter-demonstrator Heather Heyer has provoked a deep political crisis in Europe. European states that for decades presented themselves as having built democracy after fascist rule during World War II thanks to Washington’s leadership of the “free world” are scrambling to distance themselves from the White House and denounce Trump’s pro-Nazi opinions.
Trump’s praise for “very fine people” at the far right protests and his denunciation of “both sides” in Charlottesville unleashed a torrent of criticism from European officials. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Deutschlandfunk, “That is horrible, that is evil. That is racist far-right violence. This must be pursued with all strength and determination, wherever in the world it occurs.”
Martin Schulz of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Merkel’s main rival in the German general elections, attacked Merkel for being “compliant” with Washington. He said, “I am convinced that you will achieve more with Trump if you tell him, ‘Watch out, this is not how this works.’” After calling for a fight against racism and anti-Semitism during the German election campaign, Schulz wrote on Twitter, “You have to stand up and fight Nazis. What Trump is doing is extremely dangerous. Those who trivialize violence and hate are betraying our Western values.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May called the Charlottesville events “horrendous” and declared, “I see no equivalence between those who propound fascist views and those who condemn them. I think it is important for all those in…