An open letter of protest to the Prime Minister, Theresa May, initiated by Kent Law School staff in response to her decision to align the British Government with the new administration of President Donald Trump, has attracted nearly\u00a0400 signatures from the UK legal academic community, with the number of signatories continuing to climb.<\/p>\n
The letter expresses collective dismay and surprise at the Prime Minister\u2019s \u201cpersistent failure\u201d to oppose a series of \u201copenly discriminatory\u201d policies initiated by President Trump and criticises her decision to extend an invitation to him to visit the UK.<\/p>\n
It goes on to describe recent measures enacted by the Trump administration as \u201copenly racist, xenophobic, misogynistic and homophobic.\u201d These include the recent executive order banning people from seven Muslim-majority states from entering the US and the indefinite suspension of the US Syrian refugee programme.<\/p>\n
Colleagues from universities across the country have added their names to the call for the Prime Minister to cancel President Trump\u2019s invitation to visit the UK and to withdraw the British Government\u2019s support for the US more generally until these \u201cindefensible policies have been reversed and disavowed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Described as the \u201cfirst step in a wider strategy of resistance\u201d, the letter is\u00a0available online<\/a>\u00a0and will remain open for any academic or professional staff member of a UK university to sign until 6pm on Sunday 5 February. After this date, the letter will be sent with all signatures to the Prime Minister and media outlets.<\/p>\n A copy of the letter, together with a list of signatories, is also available to view on the\u00a0Critical Legal Thinking\u00a0<\/a>blog.<\/p>\n Image credit:\u00a0RESIST<\/a>\u00a0by Alisdare Hickson<\/a>\u00a0CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n