Schwarzenegger urges Trump to reject white supremacists

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has called on US President Donald Trump to abandon his ambiguous attitude to racism and immediately reject "the support of white supremacists".

The Hollywood superstar in a video on Thursday condemned the presence of hate groups and followers of Nazism in the US and said Trump as President has a moral responsibility to send an unequivocal message "you won't stand for hate and racism", Xinhua reported.

"There are not two sides to bigotry and there are not two sides to hatred," Schwarzenegger said in the video that received over two million clicks within two hours of its release.

"And if you choose to march with a flag that symbolises the slaughter of millions of people, there are not two sides to that."

The message came days after Trump on Tuesday reignited a firestorm of criticism, saying there was "blame on both sides" for a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that left three persons dead and dozens injured.

Schwarzenegger mocked Trump by talking with a doll of the President in the video.

"Now let me help you write your speech a little bit: As President of the US, and as a Republican, I reject the support of white supremacists. The country that defeated Hitler's armies is no place for Nazi flag," said the 70-year-old, who at the same time picked up a bobble head resembling Trump and asked: "Was is that difficult? You see, I told you."

Schwarzenegger on Sunday donated $100,000 to anti-Nazism organisation Simon Wiesenthal Centre, saying he was "horrified by the images of Nazis and white supremacists" marching in Charlottesville and "heartbroken that a domestic terrorist took an innocent life".

--IANS

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