A London mayor has found himself on the receiving end of the global community after writing an article for an international paper, in which he suggested that US President Barack Obama's Kenyan roots were making him dislike Britain.
Mayor Boris Johnson's publication was prompted by Obama's standing on the upcoming referendum that will determine whether UK remains in the European Union or not.
Johnson criticised Obama, who has passionately maintained that UK should remain in the EU, insinuating that his origins had clouded his decisions regarding Britain, pointing out that when Obama came into power, he was quick to remove a sculpture of Winston Churchill, the great British war time leader, from his Oval office in White House.
“Some said it was a snub to Britain. Some said it was a symbol of the part-Kenyan President’s ancestral dislike of the British empire – of which Churchill had been such a fervent defender,” Johnson wrote.
He bashed Obama for trying to control a sovereign state highlighting that: "For the United States to tell us in the UK that we must surrender control of so much of our democracy – it is a breathtaking example of the principle of do-as-I-say-but-not-as-I-do".
He further described Obama's move as “incoherent,” “inconsistent” and “downright hypocritical.”
Members of UK's Labour Party, who are supporting stay in the EU, were greatly angered by the mayor's comments accusing Johnson of 'dog whistle racism'.
“Mask slips again. Boris part-Kenyan Obama comment is yet another example of dog-whistle racism from senior Tories. He should withdraw it,” an MP from Labour Party tweeted.
President Obama has been at the forefront urging UK to remain in the European Union as its membership had magnified Britain's place in the world, and made the bloc stronger and more outward looking.
On Friday, Obama visited London where he met separately with Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister David Cameron in a bid to convince them not to exit the EU as it would adversely affect the West.
UK is set to hold a referendum on June 23 when citizens will decide on their fate with the EU.
The European Union is an economic and political partnership involving 28 European countries. It began after World War 2 to foster economic co-operation, with the idea that countries which trade together are more likely to avoid going to war with one another
The bloc has since grown to become a "single market" allowing goods and people to move around, basically as if the member states were one country.
