Poll Shows Surprising Number of British Support Trump-Like Temporary Muslim Ban

A new poll shows that nearly one-third of the British public supports a temporary ban on all foreign Muslims from entering their country — a ban much like the one proposed earlier this month by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The Sky News poll was published Wednesday, even as a petition calling on Parliament to block Trump from entering the U.K. exceeded 560,000 signatures.

The majority of poll respondents, 51 percent, said they opposed a temporary Muslim ban; however 29 percent said they would support temporarily blocking Muslims who are not U.K. citizens from entering their country.

Men attend the first Friday prayers of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at the East London Mosque on June 19 in London, England. (Rob Stothard/Getty Images)

The question posed by Sky Data read: “This week, USA presidential candidate Donald Trump called for a temporary ban on all Muslims who are citizens of foreign countries from entering the United States. To what extent, if at all, would you support or oppose a temporary ban on all Muslims who are citizens of foreign countries from entering the United Kingdom?”

The Paris attacks and the flood of Middle Eastern migrants arriving in Europe have sparked a debate in Europe over the E.U.’s open borders and the efficacy of migrant screening, especially in light of evidence that Islamic State-linked terrorists entered Europe posing as refugees.

Trump earlier this month called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” until lawmakers “can figure out what is going on.”