Anti-racism protestors take part in a demonstration denouncing Donald Trump outside the US embassy in London, after he was elected as US President. Victoria Jones PA Wire/PA Images. All rights reserved.
On November 9, 2016, Trump’s campaign removed, only to be later reinstated, the section on his page where he speaks about the “Muslim ban.” Some people took this as evidence that all is well, and that his dangerous campaign rhetoric was a thing of the past and could be designated as just harmless election talk.
The main point for many commentators, myself included, is the damage he has done in normalizing a certain type of discourse that has led and will continue to lead to hate crimes being committed against individuals who belong to, or are seen to belong to, certain groups. I had referred to this issue in a previous article drawing upon a study on Islamophobia and hate crimes conducted by Georgetown University’s Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.
