TOKYO (AP): Tears and bullets in the US Capitol building. Outrage and condemnation of leaders around the world.
“What is happening is wrong,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement on Thursday. “Democracy, the right of people to vote, to have their voices heard and then to keep that decision peacefully, should never be undone by a mafia.”
Chaotic scenes of the building’s assault on the center of American democracy by angry supporters of President Donald Trump are typically associated with countries where popular uprisings defeat a hated dictator. The Arab Spring, for example, or the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia.
But this time it was an attempt by American citizens to stop a peaceful transition to power after a democratic election in a country that many in the world have seen as a model of democratic governance.
Some viewers from abroad blamed Trump.
“We have to call this what it is: a deliberate assault on democracy by an incumbent president and his supporters, trying to nullify a free and fair election! The world is watching!” ‘Foreign Affairs and Defense, Simon Coveney, on Twitter.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “saddened by the events of the United States Capitol,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “In these circumstances, it is important for political leaders to impress their supporters on the need to refrain from violence, as well as to respect democratic processes and the rule of law.”
Several countries, allies and antagonists of America, issued travel warnings to their citizens.
Australians were urged to avoid U.S. protests after what Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described as “rather disturbing scenes” in the United States.
“The riots and protests we have seen in Washington, DC, have been terribly distressing. They are very worrying, ”Morrison told reporters shortly after the US Congress resumed its proceedings late Wednesday, Washington time.
“It simply came to our notice then. They are a great friend of Australia and are one of the largest democracies in the world. And so … our thoughts are with them and we hope for a peaceful transition, “he said.
The Chinese embassy in the United States also warned its citizens about the “serious” situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and the “large-scale protest march” in Washington that prompted the city government to impose a touch of remains.
The shock and disgust marked the reactions of many world leaders.
“Shameful scenes in the United States Congress,” tweeted British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a staunch ally of the United States for generations. “The United States is defending democracy around the world and now it is vital that there is a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.”
Other friendly countries were similarly dismayed by what they described as an attack on American democracy, although some said they believed the democratic institutions of the United States would withstand the turmoil.
“Trump and his supporters should finally accept the decision of American voters and stop stepping on democracy,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas wrote on Twitter. “Violent facts come out of inflammatory words.” He added that “contempt for democratic institutions has disastrous effects.”
“The beauty of democracy?” with a shoulder emoji was the reaction tweeted by Bashir Ahmad, personal assistant to the President of Nigeria, who has seen several coups since independence, including one led decades ago by President Muhammadu Buhari, who recently entered in the office by a vote.
India’s Prime Minister of Democracy, Narendra Modi, said on Twitter: “Anxious to see news of riots and violence in Washington DC. The orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue. the democratic process through illegal protests “.
Chilean President Sebastián Piñera and Colombian President Iván Duque were some of those who denounced the protesters in Latin America, but both said they were confident that American democracy and the rule of law would prevail. .
“In this sad episode in the United States, supporters of fascism showed their real face: undemocratic and aggressive,” tweeted Luis Roberto Barroso, a Brazilian Supreme Court judge and head of the country’s electoral tribunal. He said he hoped that “American society and institutions would react strongly to this threat to democracy.”
Venezuela, which is under US sanctions, said events in Washington show that the US “is suffering what it has generated in other countries with its policy of aggression.”
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has survived US-backed opposition efforts to oust him despite allegations of human rights abuses, civil unrest and a humanitarian crisis that has forced millions to flee the oil-rich country. .
In Puerto Rico, a lot of people went on social media and joked that U.S. territory no longer wanted to be a state. They said independence seemed attractive for the first time in decades.
In fact, this pursuit of independence marked one of the last times the U.S. Congress was violently assaulted. Four members of the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico opened fire on the floor of the House in March 1954, injuring five lawmakers.
European Parliament President David Sassoli, who heads one of the world’s largest legislatures, also denounced the Capitol scenes. The European Union has spent four grumpy years dealing with the Trump administration and its senior officials have repeatedly said they expect a better relationship with President-elect Joe Biden.
“It simply came to our notice then. No less. In Washington, ”tweeted Carl Bildt, the former prime minister of Sweden.
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PA journalists from around the world contributed to this story.