At the end of the current U.S. President Trump’s term, violent riots broke out in Washington, D.C. On January 6th local time, Trump supporters held a protest demonstration and rushed into the Capitol to try to prevent Congress from confirming the results of the 2020 presidential election. As the situation got out of control, there was a high call for Trump to step down immediately in the United States. Witnessing this farce, leaders, politicians and other people from all walks of life around the world shocked it and spoke out.
Three former U.S. presidents condemned the violence
In the summer of 2020, after the “Floyd’s death”, four former U.S. presidents Obama, George W. Bush, Clinton and Carter jointly called for reflection. Six months later, three former presidents Obama, Clinton and Bush once again came forward to condemn the violence in the U.S. Capitol.
Obama on January 6, 2021 on Twitter: “History will be remembered that today’s violence in the Capitol was instigated by a sitting president who continues to lie unfoundedly about the results of legitimate elections, which is a moment of great shame and shame for our nation. “
He called on Republicans to take measures to end the riots and divisions.
George W. Bush condemned the violence in a statement: “This is disgusting and heartbreaking scene.
Our country is more important than the current politics, and let the leaders elected by the people perform their duties and speak on our behalf in peace and security.”
Clinton also said: “Today, our Capitol, our Constitution and our country are facing unprecedented attacks.” He pointed out that the attack was a consequence of “poison politics” and “misinformation dissemination”.
Several Western leaders call for a peaceful transition of power
After the violent riots in Washington, D.C., the heads of state responded quickly, condemning and calling for a peaceful and orderly transition of power in the United States.
As a solid ally of the United States, Britain took the lead in responding.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted on the 6th, describing the events in the U.S. Congress as “shameful” and that “the United States represents democracy around the world, and it is now crucial to transfer power in a peaceful and orderly manner.”
According to CNN, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Lütte said on the 6th: “Dear Trump, admit Biden as the new president today.”
French President Macron tweeted a video about the riots in the United States: “We believe in the power of democracy, and believe in the power of American democracy.”
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau said on the 6th: “Violence will never overthrows the will of the people, and American democracy must be upheld.”
Over the past four years, the EU has been in constant friction with the Trump administration. After Biden’s victory, EU officials have expressed their desire to establish friendly relations with the Biden administration more than once.
At the last moment of the transition of the U.S. regime, European Commission President von der Leyen tweeted again that “Biden won the election and hopes to cooperate with him”. She and European Council President Michelle believe that the U.S. regime can achieve a peaceful transition.
Although NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has never been inquired about the domestic politics of its members, he also stepped forward and said about the change of the U.S. regime this time: “The results of this democratic election must be respected.”
In addition, Australian Prime Minister Morrison and Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez both expressed their expectation for a smooth transition of the U.S. regime.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also hopes that the U.S. parties can “maintain restraint and understand the matter”.
The Venezuelan government said that “the United States has suffered the same consequences as its aggressive policies in other countries”.
Trump has been fiercely criticized both inside and outside the United States.
Although more than two months after the November 2020 U.S. election vote, Trump still refused to admit defeat.
His supporters had earlier planned to launch protest demonstrations in Washington, D.C. on January 5 and 6, 2021, which was also supported by Trump.
Because of this, many politicians in the United States and other countries expressed dissatisfaction and anger at Trump’s actions.
Although most American Republicans remain silent, some people still speak out.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Republican of Illinois, tweeted: “This is a premeditated coup. Republican Senator Mitt Romney described the protesters’ fierce attack on Congress as “a rebellion” and “incited by the president”.
Representative Charlie Crist, a Democrat from Florida, said that citing the 25th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, “it is time to quell the president out of office”. In response, several lawmakers in California, Oregon and Vermont responded to the call for the “remove of the president” on social media.
“The only person to blame is Trump, who refused the election result and he incited supporters to participate in the violence,” said Asian Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from the United States, told CBS on the 6th.
Not just American politicians, former British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also tweeted that Trump “discredited American democracy and made its allies suffer tonight.”
German Deputy Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said: “The peaceful transfer of power is the cornerstone of every democracy, but Trump destroys it by inciting violence, which is shameful.”
“The United States has become the negative teaching material”
The riots in the United States on January 6 made headlines in various media for a while, attracting worldwide attention.
Whether American politics is closely related to itself or not, people from all walks of life can’t help but want to express some ideas when they see this dramatic scene.
Donald Trump Jr., the son of Trump. On the 6th, Twitter: “This is wrong. We are not such people. Although we want to save this country, we don’t do it.”
“We’ve seen one of the biggest violations of our democracy since the Civil War,” said Richard Trumka, president of the nation’s largest trade union federation.
Dan Balz, a political journalist for The Washington Post, wrote: “The democratic system in the United States has been devalued.
This Wednesday will be remembered as it is expected to push the president’s two-month-old lies to a terrible climax.”
American social activist and African-American host Karamo Brown said on Twitter that these “domestic terrorists” in the news were called supporters of Trump, and he was ashamed of it. “They are real terrorists with guns.”
According to the New York Times on the 6th, some German diplomats also extended the riots and violence in the United States to reflect on democracy.
German Foreign Minister Haiko Maas, who tried to compare the attack on the U.S. Congress to the recent attempt of far-right protesters in Germany to break into the Bundestag building, tweeted: “Seditious speech will lead to violence, and contempt for democracy will have a devastating impact.”
Peter Bayer, the German Foreign Ministry’s “Coordinator for Transatlantic Cooperation”, also believes that the attack on democratic institutions is not only a problem for the United States, but also shakes the whole world.
Mexican newspaper columnist and television host Ana Paula Ordorica said: “As a Mexican, I am surprised that the United States, as an example of democracy, has become the negative textbook for the first time.”
