London Mayor Sadiq Khan bows his head during a vigil in Potters Fields Park in London on June 5, 2017 to commemorate the victims of the terror attack on London Bridge and at Borough Market that killed seven people on June 3. (Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP)
LONDON, United Kingdom — London Mayor Sadiq Khan accused Donald Trump on Monday of seeking to divide communities in Britain after the US president criticized his leadership following a terror attack in the city.
“Some people thrive on feud and division. We are not going to let Donald Trump divide our communities,” Khan told the BBC.
He also told Sky News: “I just haven’t got time to respond to tweets from Donald Trump.
“Honestly, I’ve got better and more important things to focus on.”
Trump accused Khan — London’s first Muslim mayor — of offering a “pathetic excuse” for comments that the US president earlier misconstrued about policing in response to Saturday’s attack, which left seven people dead.
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London Mayor Sadiq Khan (C), Home Secretary Amber Rudd (R) and Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott (L) hold flowers at Potters Fields Park in London on June 5, 2017, during a vigil to commemorate the victims of the terror attack on London Bridge and at Borough Market that killed seven people on June 3, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / Niklas HALLE’N)
Khan had told Londoners there was “no reason to be alarmed” about an increased police presence in the coming days.
Trump has leaped on the London attacks as evidence of the need for hardline security measures in the United States, including a ban on travelers from some Muslim countries.
His comments caused outrage among British officials.
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British Prime Minister Theresa May was among those who came to Khan’s defense, though she declined to criticize Trump over the row.
“I think Sadiq Khan is doing a good job and it’s wrong to say anything else — he’s doing a good job,” she told a press conference on Monday.
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