Trump’s far-right defence ‘a huge mistake’: Germany

Gabriel said "Creating an equivalence between the two sides instead of clearly rejecting the Nazi-leaning side, that was a huge mistake"

BERLIN: Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Thursday US President Donald Trump had made "a huge mistake" by failing to clearly condemn a white supremacist, neo-Nazi and "alt-right" rally, reports AFP.

Trump on Tuesday said there had been "very fine people, on both sides" at a violent clash between the far right and anti-fascists Saturday in the Virginia college town of Charlottesville.

Gabriel said that "creating an equivalence between the two sides instead of clearly rejecting the Nazi-leaning side, that was a huge mistake".

"And it is wrong," he said in an interview with national news agency DPA. "It shows how enmeshed part of Trump's support base is with the far-right in the United States. His chief ideologue (Steve) Bannon is close to them." A violent fracas broke out at the Charlottesville rally attended by members of organised neo-Nazi and so-called alt-right groups protesting the removal of a Confederate statue.

One counter-protester was killed when a suspected Nazi sympathiser drove a car into a crowd.

Trump's initial response was criticised by those demanding a strong condemnation of racism and violence, but his further remarks on Tuesday -- when he doubled down on his claim that there had been "blame on both sides" -- set off a political firestorm.

Trumps far-right defence a huge mistake: Germany

Gabriel said Creating an equivalence between the two sides instead of clearly rejecting the Nazi-leaning side, that was a huge mistake

BERLIN: Germanys Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Thursday US President Donald Trump had made a huge mistake by failing to clearly condemn a white supremacist, neo-Nazi and alt-right rally, reports AFP. Trump on Tuesday said there had been very fine people, on both sides at a violent clash between the far right and anti-fascists Saturday in the Virginia college town of Charlottesville. Gabriel said that creating an equivalence between the two sides instead of clearly rejecting the Nazi-leaning side, that was a huge mistake. And it is wrong, he said in an interview with national news agency DPA. It shows how enmeshed part of Trumps support base is with the far-right in the United States. His chief ideologue (Steve) Bannon is close to them. A violent fracas broke out at the Charlottesville rally attended by members of organised neo-Nazi and so-called alt-right groups protesting the removal of a Confederate statue. One counter-protester was killed when a suspected Nazi sympathiser drove a car into a crowd. Trumps initial response was criticised by those demanding a strong condemnation of racism and violence, but his further remarks on Tuesday -- when he doubled down on his claim that there had been blame on both sides -- set off a political firestorm.