Anger in France, Britain over Trump's gun law speech

By Sarah White and David Milliken

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump gestures after speaking at a National Rifle Association (NRA) convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S. May 4, 2018. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo

 

PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump sparked anger in France and Britain by suggesting looser gun laws could have helped prevent deadly attacks in Paris in 2015, and linking a wave of knife crime in London to a handgun ban.

 

In a speech to the National Rifle Association (NRA) on Friday, Trump mimicked the shooting of victims in the Paris rampage, and said if civilians had been armed "it would have been a whole different story."

 

The French government issued its strongest criticism of Trump since he took office, at a time when President Emmanuel Macron has been reinforcing bilateral ties following a state visit.

 

"France expresses its firm disapproval of President Trump's comments about the Paris attacks on Nov. 13, 2015 and demands that the memory of the victims be respected," the foreign office said in a statement.

 

"Every country freely decides on its own laws on carrying firearms, as in other areas. France is proud to be a country where acquiring and carrying firearms is strictly regulated."

 

Other French politicians including the mayor of Paris took issue with Trump's comments, after he acted out the scene of the massacre by Islamist assailants at Paris' Bataclan concert hall, where 90 of the 130 victims of the attacks died.

 

"They took their time and gunned them down one by one. Boom! Come over here. Boom! Come over here. Boom!," Trump said, using his hands in a gun gesture.

 

Former French president Francois Hollande, who was head of state at the time, said on Twitter that Trump's comments and antics were "shameful" and "obscene".

 

'KNIVES, KNIVES, KNIVES, KNIVES'

 

Trauma surgeons in London, meanwhile, said Trump had missed the point after, in the same speech, he linked knife crime there to an absence of guns.

 

Comments by Trump have caused upset before in Britain. Relations with Prime Minister Theresa May cooled last year after she criticised him for retweeting anti-Islam videos by a British far-right group.

 

Trump, who is due to visit Britain on July 13, told NRA members that a "once very prestigious" London hospital, which he did not name, had become overwhelmed with victims of knife attacks.

 

"They don't have guns. They have knives and instead there's blood all over the floors of this hospital," he said. "They say it's as bad as a military war zone hospital. Knives, knives, knives, knives," he added, making stabbing gestures.

 

London suffered a spike in knife crime early this year, and saw more murders during February and March than New York.

 

Last month, trauma surgeon Martin Griffiths told the BBC that some of his colleagues had likened the Royal London Hospital in east London where he works to the former British military base Camp Bastion in Afghanistan.

 

But on Saturday he indicated Trump had drawn the wrong conclusion from his remarks.

 

Griffiths posted his comment next to an animation of a stick figure with the phrase "The Point" flying over its head, and also linked to a statement on the hospital's website by a fellow trauma surgeon, Karim Brohi.

 

"There is more we can all do to combat this violence, but to suggest guns are part of the solution is ridiculous. Gunshot wounds are at least twice as lethal as knife injuries and more difficult to repair," Brohi said in the statement on Saturday.

 

Britain's government effectively banned handgun ownership in England, Scotland and Wales after a school shooting in 1996.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-05-06

40 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

suggesting looser gun laws could have helped prevent deadly attacks in Paris in 2015, and linking a wave of knife crime in London to a handgun ban.

Nothing coming from this man is surprising anymore. This time i did set a new record low, though! A man with a wide and sensless imagination and fatasy like this, would be more suitable for stand-up comedy.

Nothing coming from this man is surprising anymore. This time i did set a new record low, though! A man with a wide and sensless imagination and fatasy like this, would be more suitable for stand-up comedy.

Except he is not funny...

Sent from my KENNY using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

2452 more days of DJT as POTUS.

Just when you think he has reached new lows he manages to sink even lower.

It is indeed a new low. It is really quite incredible that the President of The United States should feel it appropriate to stand on a public platform and make a speech mocking the French for the Paris massacres, and telling ludicrous lies about the United Kingdom.

I'm at a loss to know how to describe what a contemptible creature he is.

Moraly incontinent perhaps?

Sent from my KENNY using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

As a Brit, I would like to say a big thank you to Trump for speaking up about the knife crime and violence that made London essentially feel like a third world dump. He might not be PC but he is correct on all counts. The spike in violent crime has been downplayed by authorities which is a disgrace, and bobbies on the beat are now virtually non existent. Traditional Brits are terrified to leave their homes after dark, and even one guy last year blew up a crisp packet and popped it on a tube station which caused a stampede -ie everyone is on edge, everyone is scared. It is a proper mess, and needs to be cleared up. Send in the army, arm the proper Bits, this was our country now it's a hole.

2 minutes ago, FreddieRoyle said:

Traditional Brits 

what's a "traditional Brit" ?

Nothing angers people more than the truth.

6 minutes ago, hagler said:

what's a "traditional Brit" ?

From Wikipedia

 

The English are a nation and an ethnic group native to England who speak the English language. The English identity is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Angelcynn ("family of the Angles"). 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_people

 

 I have no idea why it is not a hate crime to deny the Brits their history and culture. It is very hateful, but yes I know these days every race and culture are allowed to be proud of their country and heritage except for white people. Trump, I imagine will change this despicable hate of whiteness during his 2 terms. 

Seriously what do people expect from this gross depraved piece of slime?

He has no respect for women.

He tosses friends and associates to the hounds the moment things get shaky.

A warmonger who used his family money to dodge the draft.

A coward who chided mccain for getting caught by the vietnamese and imprisoned.

A man ( and president ) who has been proven to have told 3000 lies       ( according to washington post ) since taking office. 

He sat with those kids and consoled them and weeks after he doesnt give a monkey's and goes back on his word and commitments.

He has taken the art of lying and deceiving to new heights of infamy to the extent many are viewing it as quality and acceptable.

Given many of his 'acolytes' are in bible belt communities it seems strange that these people pander to a man who regularly and gleefully breaks 2 of the 10 commandments. 

As usual Trump is right.

We are defenseless against the crimes/terror of the muslim invaders.

Buying guns should be as easy in europe as it is in the US and apparently here in Thailand.

Trump 2020.

He's fell in his own swamp and standing on May to get out.

Thanks to Trump, we Americans are well on our way to becoming the most hated country in the world. Thanks, Mr. President.

44 minutes ago, Expatthailover said:

Seriously what do people expect from this gross depraved piece of slime?

He has no respect for women.

He tosses friends and associates to the hounds the moment things get shaky.

A warmonger who used his family money to dodge the draft.

A coward who chided mccain for getting caught by the vietnamese and imprisoned.

A man ( and president ) who has been proven to have told 3000 lies       ( according to washington post ) since taking office. 

He sat with those kids and consoled them and weeks after he doesnt give a monkey's and goes back on his word and commitments.

He has taken the art of lying and deceiving to new heights of infamy to the extent many are viewing it as quality and acceptable.

Given many of his 'acolytes' are in bible belt communities it seems strange that these people pander to a man who regularly and gleefully breaks 2 of the 10 commandments. 

Nearly, but blair was/is the supreme king of liers!

17 minutes ago, KhunFred said:

Thanks to Trump, we Americans are well on our way to becoming the most hated country in the world. Thanks, Mr. President.

Evil is supposed to hate good. 

Who cares what weak men think.

1 hour ago, underlordcthulhu said:

Nothing angers people more than the truth.

Maybe you are right .

That's the reason why the not so intelligent US folks lastly elected the LOTUS, the Liar Of The United States. .

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

In a speech to the National Rifle Association (NRA) on Friday, Trump mimicked the shooting of victims in the Paris rampage, and said if civilians had been armed "it would have been a whole different story."

 

Insensitive, ignorant moron.

1 hour ago, BuaBS said:

As usual Trump is right.

We are defenseless against the crimes/terror of the muslim invaders.

Buying guns should be as easy in europe as it is in the US and apparently here in Thailand.

Trump 2020.

As usual is not possible with Trump. He contradicts himself and flipflops on everything, so maximum he can be 50% right.

 

As soon as he flipflops here he is right BTW.

12 hours ago, FreddieRoyle said:

From Wikipedia

 

The English are a nation and an ethnic group native to England who speak the English language. The English identity is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Angelcynn ("family of the Angles"). 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_people

 

 I have no idea why it is not a hate crime to deny the Brits their history and culture. It is very hateful, but yes I know these days every race and culture are allowed to be proud of their country and heritage except for white people. Trump, I imagine will change this despicable hate of whiteness during his 2 terms. 

Hate of whiteness?

 

<deleted>

9 minutes ago, puck2 said:

Maybe you are right .

That's the reason why the not so intelligent US folks lastly elected the LOTUS, the Liar Of The United States. .

Like I said, who cares what weak men think.

1 hour ago, FreddieRoyle said:

From Wikipedia

 

The English are a nation and an ethnic group native to England who speak the English language. The English identity is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Angelcynn ("family of the Angles"). 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_people

 

 I have no idea why it is not a hate crime to deny the Brits their history and culture. It is very hateful, but yes I know these days every race and culture are allowed to be proud of their country and heritage except for white people. Trump, I imagine will change this despicable hate of whiteness during his 2 terms. 

So "traditional brits"  are the only ones who feel scared of knives? 

 

You Sir are a xenophobic racist.  Who lives in another country himself where he doesn't hold citizenship or have voting rights.  Toddle back to your traditional home country then. 

45 minutes ago, underlordcthulhu said:

Evil is supposed to hate good. 

Who cares what weak men think.

Yes, because France and England are sooooo evil and the USA is so good. 55555555. 

2 hours ago, JAG said:

Except he is not funny...

Sent from my KENNY using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Yep, Thanks! I stand corrected. 

23 minutes ago, underlordcthulhu said:

Like I said, who cares what weak men think.

Yeah, I guess it´s hard to, and find a way to, be same strong like you. In many cases that means one must have to compromise in life. 
Some people want to stand strong and superior, but then maybe they loose in the msart department.
Some people stay weak, as you choose to say, but maybe they really know what is happening around them.

Other persons try to change themselfs just to be as the one they see as an idol, and that is usually not the sharpest knifes in the box.

I don´t know, but feel free to take your pick. As careless as it might seem. 

What a thoroughly depressing thread. I'm going to the pub!

2 hours ago, FreddieRoyle said:

As a Brit, I would like to say a big thank you to Trump for speaking up about the knife crime and violence that made London essentially feel like a third world dump. He might not be PC but he is correct on all counts. The spike in violent crime has been downplayed by authorities which is a disgrace, and bobbies on the beat are now virtually non existent. Traditional Brits are terrified to leave their homes after dark, and even one guy last year blew up a crisp packet and popped it on a tube station which caused a stampede -ie everyone is on edge, everyone is scared. It is a proper mess, and needs to be cleared up. Send in the army, arm the proper Bits, this was our country now it's a hole.

 

Perhaps you would be happier in the good old USA with its archaic gun laws. Although admittedly the UK has become a s**t-hole but this is due to  lax immigration control and pandering to ethic groups and races

2 hours ago, FreddieRoyle said:

Traditional Brits

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/feb/07/first-modern-britons-dark-black-skin-cheddar-man-dna-analysis-reveals

 

BTW the Angles and Saxons were German tribes who came much later but before the Normans and the start of French rule. Me? I'm a complete celt ?

1 hour ago, maxcorrigan said:

Nearly, but blair was/is the supreme king of liers!

Perhaps; Blair was deceitful, devious, glib and a convincing liar. I would however argue that he had a grasp of "conventional morality", and understood the standards which that required, even if at times he went against them. Trump is deceitful, devious, brash, amoral and has no grasp of "conventional morality," not the standards which accompany it.

He is a disgrace to the position he holds and the nation which he has, calamitously, come to represent.

If Mrs May had any "bottle" she would make it known that whilst the UK is keen to continue to engage and where appropriate work with the United States, it's people and it's government, Mr Trump has rendered himself, as an individual, 'beyond the pale' with these remarks.

 

Of course he could always withdraw the remarks and apologize to France and the UK. I expect he will wait a few days and then tweet that he never made them!

15 minutes ago, johncat1 said:

 

Perhaps you would be happier in the good old USA with its archaic gun laws. Although admittedly the UK has become a s**t-hole but this is due to  lax immigration control and pandering to ethic groups and races

And you started off so well, before lapsing into nonsense.