Thank you for your response on that, First Minister, and can I also thank you for your speedy condemnation of the disgraceful action taken by the President of the United States—action that is in contravention of the Geneva convention, international law and, probably, the constitution of the United States? In sharp contrast, the British Prime Minister’s condemnation has been slow in coming, and has been mealy mouthed at best. Despite the potential impact of the executive order on British nationals, her initial response was simply that immigration policy is a matter for the USA and for the Government of the USA. It’s clear that her special relationship with the President did not lead to him giving her any special forewarning of what was to come.

Donald Trump is a man who feels it’s okay to mock those with disabilities, he’s a misogynist of the very worst kind and he’s an advocate of torture, all of which he’s tried unsuccessfully to justify. His attempt to justify this policy has also been equally risible, when he said,

‘To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban…This is not about religion—this is about terror and keeping our country safe.’

Well, if Donald Trump wants to keep his country safe, maybe he should do something about gun control, because frankly Americans are far more of a danger to each other than anyone from any of the seven countries whose nationals are affected by this ban. Not one single American citizen can be identified has having been killed in a terrorist attack by anyone from any of these countries.

But, as you identified, First Minister, it’s not just the anxiety and distress caused to Muslim communities by the 90-day travel ban, the executive order also places a ban on the US refugees programme for 120 days and puts in place an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria. Trump’s executive order, coming on Holocaust Memorial Day, of all days, is indefensible, flies in the face of the moral duty of all us to help refugees, and, as we’ve already seen this week, can only serve to heighten religious and racial intolerance. He has sought to demonise an entire religion, and I’m reminded how actions like this can lead to atrocities and even genocide. The holocaust didn’t start with gas chambers. It started with religious demonisation and intolerance—