Tag Archives: united kingdom

President Obama Responds To Boris Johnson’s “Dog-Whistle Racist” Comments About His Kenyan Ancestry London Mayor Boris Johnson is being branded a racist after claiming Obama has an “ancestral dislike” for Britain as a result of his “part-Kenyan” heritage. In case you missed it, Obama is currently visiting London, but not everyone has been welcoming. According to Al Jazeera reports : In an opinion essay published in the right-leaning tabloid The Sun , the mayor criticized Obama’s eagerness to urge British voters to remain in the EU and argued that the president may be “anti- British”. Johnson, who is seen as the unofficial leader of the campaign for the UK to leave the EU, claimed in his article that Obama removed a bust of Britain’s war-time prime minister Sir Winston Churchill from the Oval Office shortly after he took office in 2009. “Some said it was a snub to Britain. Some said it was a symbol of the part-Kenyan president’s ancestral dislike of the British empire – of which Churchill had been such a fervent defender” wrote the London mayor. Sheesh… This guy is a piece of work. Fortunately not all Brits are buying his line of reasoning: Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames, who is the grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, said Johnson’s comments were “appalling” and “totally wrong on almost everything”. “Time and time again, his judgment is awry and he shows in this article a remarkable disregard for the facts, the truth and for all judgment,” he told LBC radio. “I don’t think Boris has the stature to be leader.” Sir Nicholas also said it was inconceivable that Churchill would not have welcomed the views of Obama. John McDonnell, Labour Party’s shadow chancellor, suggested that Johnson’s remarks were “racist”. “Mask slips again,” he tweeted. “Boris part-Kenyan Obama comment is yet another example of dog-whistle racism from senior Tories. He should withdraw it.” Obama responded to Johnson’s comments in a press conference revealing he still keeps a bust of Churchill, but moved it in favor of one of MLK: Talking next to British Prime Minister David Cameron, Obama said he loved Churchill and still had a bust of the British leader in his White House private residence. “Right outside the door of the Treaty Room, so that I see it every day – including on weekends when I’m going into that office to watch a basketball game – the primary image I see is a bust of Winston Churchill,” he said. “It’s there voluntarily because I can do anything on the second floor. I love Winston Churchill. Love the guy.” Obama said there was a bust of Churchill in the Oval Office during the presidency of his predecessor George W Bush but he decided that he would have a bust of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King in his office instead. “I thought it was appropriate – and I think most people in the United Kingdom might agree – that as the first African-American president, it might be appropriate to have a bust of Dr Martin Luther King in my office,” he said. Barry-O told him! Gotta love Obama for always staying cool no matter how ugly his critics get. And this guy is super UGLY. WENN

See more here:
Wait, What? London Mayor Claims Obama Has A Dislike For Great Britain Because Of Kenyan Heritage