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Steve Bannon smuggled into Oxford Union to avoid protesters outside

The former White House adviser tells a half-empty room that his zero-tolerance border law was a ‘humanitarian policy’

FASCIST former White House adviser Steve Bannon was smuggled into the Oxford Union building from the back of a police riot van on Friday to give a speech to avoid the hundreds of protesters outside.

Addressing a half-empty room, the former chief strategist for Donald Trump claimed that his zero-tolerance border law, which sparked global outrage over migrant children being separated from their parents and put into cages, was a “humanitarian policy.”

Mr Bannon, who has links with white supremacist groups in the US, is touring European countries in an apparent attempt to build a network of anti-Islam organisations.

His visit to Oxford on Friday night prompted a mobilisation by anti-racists and widespread criticism of the Oxford Union for its continuing policy of courting controversy by hosting far-right speakers.

Oxford Union, the largest society at the University of Oxford, has previously hosted English Defence League co-founder Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, or “Tommy Robinson,” and French Rassemblement National leader Marine Le Pen.

German far-right Islamophobe Alice Wiedel, leader of the Alternative fur Deutschland party (AfD), decided not to speak at the union earlier this month over “security concerns.”

Mr Bannon was given heavy police protection to gain access to the Oxford Union building as hundreds of protesters blocked the two entrances.

Speaking to protesters outside, Labour MP for Oxford East Anneliese Dodds said: “Thank you to everyone who is here, making clear to all of Oxford’s citizens, wherever in the world they are from, that they are welcome and not white supremacists like Bannon. Hatred like Bannon’s will never divide us.”

Stand Up to Racism co-convener Weyman Bennett said the protest was “a show of unity against the racism and division that Bannon represents.”

“We saw where his hate speech can lead when 11 Jewish people were killed in Pittsburgh last month by a Trump supporter,” he added.

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