Donald Trump Muslim comments: Protesters denounce Republican candidate in New York

Dozens of protesters have gathered in New York, to rally against comments made by Republican Presidential front-runner Donald Trump about banning Muslims entering the United States. Trump was due to speak at a Pennsylvania Republican Party fundraiser at the Plaza Hotel on 11 December.

A number of activists gathered outside to protest against the business tycoon, who had called for the US to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the country.

Aber Kawas of the Arab-American Association of New York said, "We wanted to come out here and make a statement and make sure people knew that it's unacceptable for somebody running for the president of the United States to say these things".

Protesters could be heard chanting "Dump Chump" and "Refugees Welcome" outside of the hotel. They held a number of signs and banners, with one reading, "Trump: Making America Hate Again".

Protester Peter Hogness said, "To me, Trump, even though all across the country he likes to pose as this big New Yorker , he's the opposite of everything that makes New York, New York. When Trump tries to start putting one religion against another, start trying to say he's going to keep people out of the country based on their religion. As a New Yorker, I'm offended by that."

Trump said on 7 December that Muslims should be barred from entering the US until the nation's leaders could "figure out what is going on". His comments have since been condemned around the world.

"What we see and what he's been talking about, banning Muslims, banning refugees, that is the worst thing that somebody could actually do especially when people are just trying to survive," explained Chris Hilo, of Families for Freedom, who helped organise the protest on 11 December.

Earlier that day Trump Towers in Manhattan was shut down for over an hour after the hacker collective Anonymous targeted the Republican politician.