Whether you love him or hate him, Donald Trump is scheduled to host Saturday Night Live on November 7.
The presidential candidate has made a joke of America’s political system, but not everyone is laughing though.
Several dozen activists convened in front of NBC’s headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Center and demanded the network cancel Trump’s appearance.
The activists circulated petitions and collected more than 500,000 signatures asking NBCUniversal to replace Trump with another guest host for Saturday’s show.
Petitioners tweeted with the hashtag #racisimisntfunny and shared a letter to SNL’s Executive Producer Lorne Michaels and NBC’s President Steve Burke demanding a new host.
Criticism from Latino advocacy groups and Hispanic politicians catalyzed the protest. The protestors were outraged that NBC invited Trump to host the show despite his comments describing Mexican immigrants as “rapists” who bring crime and drugs into the U.S.
What is puzzling about NBC’s decision to feature real estate tycoon and politician is that Trump was fired from the network for his racist comments.
Juan Escalante, rally organizer and director of digital campaigns for America’s Voice, told reporters that Trump’s rhetoric has ignited acts of violence against Latinos.
He reminded NBC that allowing Trump to host the show will result in viewers boycotting the network’s programming.
“[Latinos] do not want to see Trump’s racism or his anti-immigration message being satirized,” he told HuffPo.
“There’s nothing funny about mass deportation. There’s nothing funny about separating families. There’s nothing funny about calling Mexicans ‘rapists’ and murderers.”
“It’s a very poor show of judgment and it’s completely disrespectful to Latinos and viewers across the nation,” he added.
