Toronto councillor calls Donald Trump 'a fascist,' asks for Trump Tower to be renamed

A Toronto citycouncillor called Donald Trump a fascist on Twitter Tuesday and said the Trump International Hotel & Tower in the city's downtownshould be renamed.

Ward 22 Coun. Josh Matlow said he was going to write to the owners of the 65-storey luxury hotel and residence asking them to remove the Republican presidential hopeful'sname from the downtown landmark.

Matlow's call came one day after Trumpcalledfor a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" during a speech. It wasthe most dramatic response yet by a U.S. presidential candidate to last week'sshooting spree in San Bernardino, Calif., by what the FBI has calleda radicalizedcouple.

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Matlow explained the reason behind his tweet to CBC News.

"Donald Trump is no longer a celebrity circusclown who gets into fights with Rosie O'Donnell. He's not simply the host of The Apprentice, he's one of the leading contenders for the presidency of the United States," Matlow said.

"What he says matters now. Not only has he compared Mexicans to rapists and criminals, but he's called for a ban on all Muslims entering the country.

"That is fascist policy, that is hateful policy and I think any decent person wants to push back and demonstrate our revolt," he added.

Earlier Monday, former Vancouver city planner Brent Toderian suggested the developers building theTrump Tower in Vancouvershould remove the controversial billionaire'sname from the building.

"I seriously suggest that Vancouverites call on @TrumpVancouver to remove his name," Toderian tweeted.

Larry Hayes, an American educator visiting Toronto,told CBC he thinksTrump "is an entertainer"and echoed Matlow's comments.

"I'm enough of a student of history to know that this is how fascism started," Hayes said. "I think it's fascist to pick a group of people and say, 'You're a member of that group, ergo you can not bea good person.'"

In a statement issued Tuesday,The Communications Group, a Toronto-based public relations firmthat represents The Trump Organization, said the organization"is the operator of the hotel, not the owner.

"Donald Trump's opinions as a private citizen in no way reflect the position of our company's views."