Toronto councillor calls Donald Trump 'a fascist,' asks for Trump Tower to be renamed
Coun. Josh Matlow responds to Trump's call for ban on Muslims entering the U.S.
A Toronto city councillor called Donald Trump a fascist on Twitter Tuesday and said the Trump International Hotel & Tower in the city's downtown should be renamed.
I believe the owners of Toronto's Trump Tower should change its name. Toronto is a diverse & respectful city. Donald Trump is a fascist.
—@JoshMatlowWard 22 Coun. Josh Matlow said he was going to write to the owners of the 65-storey luxury hotel and residence asking them to remove the Republican presidential hopeful's name from the downtown landmark.
Matlow's call came one day after Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" during a speech. It was the most dramatic response yet by a U.S. presidential candidate to last week's shooting spree in San Bernardino, Calif., by what the FBI has called a radicalized couple.
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Matlow explained the reason behind his tweet to CBC News.
"Donald Trump is no longer a celebrity circus clown who gets into fights with Rosie O'Donnell. He's not simply the host of The Apprentice, he's one of the leading contenders for the presidency of the United States," Matlow said.
"What he says matters now. Not only has he compared Mexicans to rapists and criminals, but he's called for a ban on all Muslims entering the country.
"That is fascist policy, that is hateful policy and I think any decent person wants to push back and demonstrate our revolt," he added.
Earlier Monday, former Vancouver city planner Brent Toderian suggested the developers building the Trump Tower in Vancouver should remove the controversial billionaire's name from the building.
As <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Trump?src=hash">#Trump</a> calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S, I seriously suggest that Vancouverites call on <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpVancouver">@TrumpVancouver</a> to remove his name.
—@BrentToderian"I seriously suggest that Vancouverites call on @TrumpVancouver to remove his name," Toderian tweeted.
Larry Hayes, an American educator visiting Toronto, told CBC he thinks Trump "is an entertainer" and echoed Matlow's comments.
"I'm enough of a student of history to know that this is how fascism started," Hayes said. "I think it's fascist to pick a group of people and say, 'You're a member of that group, ergo you can not be a good person.'"
In a statement issued Tuesday, The Communications Group, a Toronto-based public relations firm that represents The Trump Organization, said the organization "is the operator of the hotel, not the owner.
"Donald Trump's opinions as a private citizen in no way reflect the position of our company's views."