Global rejection

Trump, true to his populist style, signed an executive order without stopping to think of the consequences, or what would be even worse, being fully aware of them. This is an order that not only insults and offends millions of people by considering them dangerous and terrorist suspects simply on the basis of where they are from, but, as is being shown, is a serious violation of the constitutional rights of many people legally living in the United States.

The protests that have taken place in airports in the country and among many sectors of the US population show that Trump is going to be met with a ferocious response by a society that considers its rights and freedoms to be sacred, and above all, its identity as a nation of immigrants. Designating entire groups of people as suspicious on the basis of their ethnicity, religion or origin is utterly incompatible with US values, as the rest of humanity, inside and outside the United States, fortunately understands.

Designating groups of people as suspicious on the basis of their ethnicity, religion or origin is utterly incompatible with US values

The president’s aggressive language, his obsessive battles with the media and his refusal to back down in common sense situations, or to do so only when obliged by the law, is creating a profound social conflict, one that has unforeseeable consequences.

It is highly significant that this outrageous measure has prompted reactions at all levels, both domestically and nationally. The words of the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, have been particularly accurate in warning that the fight against terrorism cannot justify a generalized suspicion against people on the basis of this or that geographic or religious origin.

It is particularly symbolic that some US business leaders and Wall Street have rejected Trump’s move, with some attending demonstrations at airports, while others have announced they will hire thousands of refugees. Some senior figures in the Republican Party have also expressed their rejection.

Trump, whose personal fortune is based on the property sector and casinos, calls himself a champion of the economy and job creation, but with this ill-considered measure he has earned the animosity of companies that turn over billions of dollars and generate tens of thousands of jobs in the United States and around the world. Making America great and safer is the very opposite of closing borders and humiliating millions of people.

English version by Nick Lyne.