» World leaders condemn the assault and express shock.
Leaders around the world condemned the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, expressing shock at the chaos unfolding in a country they once relied on for global leadership.
“Disgraceful scenes in US Congress,“tweeted Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, a staunch ally of the United States over generations. “The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.”
Other allies were similarly appalled at what they described as an attack on American democracy, though some said they believed U.S. democratic institutions would withstand the turmoil. Some leaders singled out Trump for harsh criticism.
“Trump and his supporters should finally accept the decision of the American voters and stop trampling on democracy,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tweeted. “From inflammatory words come violent deeds.”
He added that “contempt for democratic institutions has disastrous effects.”
“The beauty of democracy?” with a shrug emoji was the reaction tweeted by Bashir Ahmad, a personal assistant to the president of Nigeria, which has seen several coups since independence — including one led decades ago by President Muhammadu Buhari, who most recently entered the office by winning an election.
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and Colombian President Ivan Duque were amongthose in Latin America who denounced the protesters, but both also said they were confident that American democracy and the rule of law would prevail.
“In this sad episode in the U.S., supporters of fascism showed their real face: anti-democratic and aggressive,” tweeted Luis Roberto Barroso, Brazilian Supreme Court justice and the head of the country’s electoral court. He said he hoped “American society and institutions react with vigor to this threat to democracy.”
Venezuela, which is under U.S. sanctions, said the events in Washington show that the U.S. “is suffering what it has generated in other countries with its politics of aggression.”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has survived U.S.-backed opposition efforts to oust him despite accusations of human rights abuses, civil unrest and a humanitarian crisis that has forced millions to flee the oil-rich country.
In Puerto Rico, many people took to socialmedia and joked that the U.S. territory no longer wanted statehood. Independence, they said, looked appealing for the first time in decades. In fact, itwas that pursuit
of independence that marked one of the last times the U.S. Congresswas stormed violently. Four members of Puerto Rico’s Nationalist Party opened fire on the House floor in March 1954, wounding five lawmakers.
Italians watched with shock, having always considered the U.S. to be the model of democracy and the country that rescued Italy after its fascist descent during World War II.
“This is the widely anticipated outcome of Trumpism,” tweeted a retired Italian center-left politician, Pierluigi Castagnetti. “And unfortunately it won’t end today. When politics is replaced by deception and fanaticism of the people the drift is inevitable.”
European Parliament President David Sassoli, who leads one of the largest legislatures in theworld, also denounced the scenes at the Capitol. The European Union has spent four cantankerous years dealing with the Trump administration, and its top officials repeatedly have said they’re looking forward to a better relationship under President-elect Joe Biden.
“This is insurrection. Nothing less. In Washington,” tweeted Carl Bildt, a former prime minister of Sweden.
Turkey, a NATO ally that sometimes has been at odds with Washington, expressed concern over the images of angry Trump supporters trying to thwart the certification of Biden as the new president. Thec haos forced lawmakers to be rushed fromthe building.
A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement urged all parties in the United States to use “moderation and common sense.”
“We believe that the United States will overcome this domestic political crisis with maturity,” the ministry said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country was “deeply disturbed “by the events in the U.S., Canada’s closest ally and neighbor.
“Violence will never succeed in overruling the will of the people. Democracy in the US must be upheld — and it will be,” Trudeau tweeted.