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Councillor urges Trump Tower to drop ‘fascist’ namesake after anti-Muslim speech

TORONTO – A Toronto city councillor wants the downtown Trump Tower to change its name to distance itself from the “fascist” Donald Trump.

Josh Matlow, councillor for Ward 22, said Tuesday that he plans to petition the owners of the Trump Tower to ditch the controversial real estate mogul’s name after he proposed  a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”

Trump’s announcement had critics comparing him to Adolf Hitler, and Matlow said the two share an ideology.

Speaking with Global News Monday, Matlow said Trump’s sensational comments can’t be shrugged off.

“He’s no longer a commentator on TV saying silly things for entertainment purposes. What he says matters now. He’s one of the leading contenders for the presidency of the United States.”

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“[Trump’s announcement is] hateful, it’s bigoted, it’s intolerant and I think we’ve learned from our history that all decent people need to take a stand and push back when there are public policy proposals made such as those.”

Matlow says he’s writing a letter to the building’s owner, Markham-based Talon International Development, to suggest the company disassociate itself from the Trump brand.

READ MORE: Donald Trump compared to Adolf Hitler, Lord Voldemort after Muslim ban proposal

“I recognize of course that [Talon] never would have deliberately used a brand that they thought would represent hate, but today we know who Donald Trump is,” he said. “And as decent people themselves, they can help Toronto disassociate ourselves from Donald Trump by renaming their tower and I hope they hear me out.”

Talon emailed Global News with a statement saying in part, “Donald Trump’s opinions as a private citizen in no way reflect the position of our company’s views.”

Trump himself is a minority shareholder in the high-rise at Bay and Adelaide Streets.

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WATCH ABOVE: Donald Trump announces plan to ban Muslims from the U.S. 

Matlow’s proposal is still less extreme than that of  St. Petersburg, Fla. Mayor Rick Kriseman, who responded to Trump’s proposed Muslim ban by saying he plans to ban Trump from entering the city.

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