LONDON (AA) – On the second day of his U.K. visit, U.S. President Barack Obama warned the British youth of “isolation”, a day after pronouncing himself in favor of the U.K. remaining in the EU.
Obama answered a variety of questions from an audience of more than 500 British youths at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London on Saturday.
“We see new calls for isolationism, for xenophobia,”said Obama.“When I speak to young people, I implore them, and I implore you, to reject those calls to pull back.”
Obama had been criticized in the U.K. for intervening in the Brexit debate.
“Speaking honestly, the outcome of that decision is a matter of deep interest to the U.S. as it affects our prospects as well,” Obama said on Friday in a press conference with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron . “The United Kingdom is at its best when it is leading Europe.”
More than 46 million people will be eligible to vote in the June 23 EU referendum, a manifesto commitment from the governing Conservative Party ahead of last year’s parliamentary election.
On Saturday, Obama said that this generation has seen integration and globalization not as threats, but as opportunities.
To a question on the threat posed by extremist organizations Obama replied: “Security is not just a matter of military actions but is the messages we send and the institutions that we build and the diplomacy that we engage in and the opportunities that we present to people
Obama added that American Muslims had been great allies in fighting against extremism.
“I visited a mosque a few months ago and said our greatest allies are American Muslims who are most integrated and economically well-off,” he stated.
Obama also listed the Iran Nuclear deal as one of the highlights of his presidency in the discussion.
Obama started his second day in London with a tour of the Globe theater, which is a renovated playhouse designed by William Shakespeare in the 16th century. Saturday marked the 400th anniversary of the death of the British playwright.
Later in the afternoon, Obama met with Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party. The U.S president is expected to have dinner with Cameron and U.S. Ambassador Matthew Barzun on Saturday evening and leave the country early Sunday.
