Britain begins debate on banning Trump

Britain’s Parliament on Monday was debating whether to ban Donald Trump from being able to enter the United Kingdom for inflammatory rhetoric, which would put him on par with gang leaders and jihadi preachers who incited or took part in violence.

Members of Parliament were responding to a petition accusing Mr. Trump, the GOP presidential front-runner, of hate speech.

“This is no attempt to disrespect in any way Americans or the American state,” Paul Flynn, a Labour Party member of parliament, said as he kicked off the debate in committee.

The Democratic National Committee gleefully highlighted the debate, and linked to live web video of the debate in London, saying it was “shameful” that a Republican presidential candidate was the subject of such a debate.

The evidence of Mr. Trump’s offenses included proposing a temporary ban on Muslim visitors or immigrants to the U.S., his accusation that Mexico sends rapists and other bad elements of its society to the U.S., and his mocking of a disabled reporter.

Mr. Flynn said Parliament had to hold the debate after pressure from the public helped push the petition to more than half a million signatures.

But he urged fellow lawmakers to shy away from actually going ahead with the ban.

“Our best plan is not to give him that accolade of martyrdom in that way. I think we may already be in error by giving him far too much attention,”Mr. Flynn said.