NICOLA Sturgeon has spoken of the need for people across the world to stand up for the values of tolerance and respect after the victory of Donald Trump in the US Presidential election.
She told MSPs she found many of the Republican’s comments “deeply abhorrent” and vowed “not to maintain a diplomatic silence” in the face of racism or intolerance, urging those with progressive voices to “be beacons of hope”.
At First Minister’s Questions, Sturgeon said she had faced criticism for endorsing Hillary Clinton in the US election campaign, breaking the tradition that political leaders do not comment on election campaigns in other countries.
“I, during that campaign, found so many of President-elect Trump’s comments deeply abhorrent and I never want to be, I am not prepared to be, a politician that maintains a diplomatic silence in the face of attitudes of racism, sexism, misogyny or intolerance of any kind,” she said.
“I think it is important today that, firstly, I hope that President-elect Trump turns out to be a president very different to the kind of candidate he was and reaches out to those who felt vilified by his campaign, but people of progressive opinion the world over, I think, do have to stand up for the values of tolerance and respect for diversity and difference.
“There is more of an obligation on us now than there perhaps has been on our generation before and this is the time for all of us, no matter how difficult, no matter how controversial or unpopular it may be in certain quarters, to be beacons of hope for those values we all hold so dear.”
She said Trump’s victory was not what she wanted but the will of the American people must be respected. “Hillary Clinton’s defeat yesterday, amongst many other things, perhaps tells us we are not as far down the road to true gender equality as we hoped we were,” she added.
The First Minister spoke after she was questioned over Trump’s US election by Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, who referred to the tape of Trump talking about grabbing women sexually.
“Donald Trump’s behaviour towards women sends a dangerous signal across the world,” Dugdale said.
“In January we will have a misogynist in the White House who has boasted about assaulting women and has used the most degrading language possible.
“And, of course, Donald Trump’s intolerance is not just aimed at women – we all remember the sickening sight of him mocking a disabled journalist. We can’t forget his plans to build a wall or ban people of one faith from entering America.”
Conservative MSP Jackson Carlaw called on Sturgeon to explain how she would ensure Scottish businesses and jobs would not be prejudiced in any new trading relationship between a post-Brexit UK and the US as a result of her interventions against the president-elect.
In response, Sturgeon highlighted strongly worded tweets condemning Trump sent by Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson.
“I’m not sure if anything I’ve said about Donald Trump even comes close to some of the tweets I was seeing earlier on from Ruth Davidson,” she said.
The First Minister added: “The relationship between the United States and Scotland is a long-standing one. It is based on ties of family, of culture, of business.
“I want those ties not just to continue, I want them to be enhanced and to get even stronger.
“So, as First Minister, I want to engage with the next American administration just as we have the last one, but I do believe it is important for all politicians at this moment in our history to stand up and be counted on important principles of tolerance and respect and diversity, and I’m not going to shy away from doing that and I hope that Donald Trump builds an administration founded on these principles, and if he does that we can continue to ensure that that close relationship gets even closer.”
Dugdale said there is “so much to do to break the glass ceiling that women face” and highlighted that the election result came one day before Equal Pay Day, the day when women effectively stop earning relative to men for the year, due to the gender pay gap.
Sturgeon said it was an “absolute scandal” that Scotland does not have equal pay but said it is making progress and trying to close the gap by expanding childcare and create more transparency around public-sector pay.
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