65 leading authors, artists protest Trump's Muslim travel ban

A total of 65 world's top authors and artists have written a joint letter to criticize Donald Trump's immigration ban, calling for a reconsideration of such restrictive measure.

The signatories to the letter, managed by an advocacy group based in the US, called on Trump to cancel his Executive Order of January 27, 2017 and refrain from introducing any alternative measure that similarly impairs freedom of movement and the global exchange of arts and ideas.

The letter comes as many in art and cinema have added their voices to a chorus of protest against the order by the US president, including winners of the Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as a sizable number of British and American cineastes, actors and crew members, besides several cinematic events that showed solidarity with those inflicted by the US unjust measure. 

Trump's ban on citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries to enter the United States also led to an event last week that activists called “A Day without Immigrants” to highlight the vital importance of immigrants in everyday life of the Americans.

 The letter also said, "Preventing international artists from contributing to American cultural life will not make America safer, and will damage its international prestige and influence. Not only will such a policy prevent great artists from performing, but it will constrict the interchange of important ideas, isolating the U.S. politically and culturally."

MG/AG