More than 1.6 million people in the United Kingdom have signed a petition asking the government to cancel President Donald Trump's state visit, according to NBC News.
The petition, which was launched Sunday, concedes that Trump should be allowed to enter the U.K. but says the official state visit should be canceled "because it would cause embarrassment" to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.
The petition states, “Donald Trump’s well-documented misogyny and vulgarity disqualifies him from being received by Her Majesty the Queen or the Prince of Wales. Therefore, during the term of his presidency, Donald Trump should not be invited to the United Kingdom for an official state visit.”
NBC News reports that the British government is planning to go ahead with the event.
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“The invitation for the state visit has been extended and accepted,” a spokesman for the British government told NBC News.
Prime Minister Theresa May met with Trump last week in the United States. During their meeting, a state trip to the U.K. was announced. Then came the Trump administration's announcement of travel restrictions placed on seven Muslim-majority nations, which drew criticism and protests in the U.S. and overseas.
Among the opposition is Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, and Shami Chakrabarti, who told the BBC that the U.K. government's position "sounds like appeasement."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the city’s first Muslim mayor, was furious about the ban, telling news organizations, “I am quite clear: This ban is cruel. This ban is shameful. While this ban is in place, we should not be rolling out the red carpet for President Trump.”
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