'Humans of New York' creator denounces Donald Trump's racism in open letter

‘I've watched you retweet racist images. I've watched you retweet racist lies. I've watched you take 48 hours to disavow white supremacy.’

Brandon Stanton said he felt a moral duty to speak out against Mr Trump (Reuters)

Brandon Stanton, the photographer and journalist who created the "Humans of New York" series, has taken to social media to denounce Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his bigoted comments.

In the post, Mr Stanton said he has tried “his hardest” not to be political and has refused to interview several of Mr Trump’s fellow candidates, but said “there is no correct time to oppose violence and prejudice”.

“I've watched you retweet racist images,” Mr Stanton wrote. ”I've watched you retweet racist lies. I've watched you take 48 hours to disavow white supremacy. I've watched you joyfully encourage violence, and promise to 'pay the legal fees' of those who commit violence on your behalf. I've watched you advocate the use of torture and the murder of terrorists' families. I've watched you gleefully tell stories of executing Muslims with bullets dipped in pig blood. I've watched you compare refugees to 'snakes,' and claim that 'Islam hates us'."

Mr Stanton, 32, said that as a journalist he has interviewed hundreds of Muslims and refugees and Syrians - for whom he is raising money on his site - “And I can confirm - the hateful one is you.”

The post has gathered over half a million shares and almost one million likes on Facebook.

"Humans of New York" originally profiled people within the five boroughs of New York City but has recently taken a more international view, focusing on the plight of Syrian refugees.

Mr Stanton has joined a long line of high-profile people, including Republican Mitt Romney and celebrities like Johnny Depp, in denouncing the Republican frontrunner.

"Humans of New York" has grown massively in popularity and has attracted comments from the likes of President Obama, Hillary Clinton and Ellen DeGeneres, shining a spotlight on issues like LGBT rights.