Turkey called for calm and urged ‘common sense’ to resolve the ‘political crisis’ in the US as the world reacted to the horror of the Capitol building being stormed.
Supporters of President Trump stormed the United States Capitol on Wednesday aimed at thwarting a peaceful transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry called the events ‘worrying’, saying ‘we believe that the US will overcome this domestic crisis calmly,’ with Turkish citizens in the US being urged to stay away from crowded places where demonstrations are held.
‘We follow the events in the USA with concern and invite the parties to calmness. We believe that problems will always be solved within law and democracy,’ Turkey’s Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop said on Twitter.
‘As Turkey, we have always been in favor of the law and democracy and we recommend it to everyone,’ he added.
Trump supporters gather outside the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. As Congress prepares to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, thousands of people have gathered to show their support for President Donald Trump and his claims of election fraud
A number of allies also reacted with alarm to the scenes in Washington DC as a number of countries outside the US maintained live coverage of the events.
In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the scenes were ‘disgraceful’ and called for the peaceful transition of power, with Biden’s inauguration set to take place on January 20, when he would take over from the incumbent.
‘Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress,’ Johnson tweeted. ‘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.’
Keir Starmer, Leader of the UK Labour Party – the country’s opposition party – also reacted to the events, saying: ‘Horrendous scenes from the US. These are not ‘protestors’ – this a direct attack on democracy and legislators carrying out the will of the American people.’
Speaking to Canada’s News 1130 radio station in Vancouver, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he was concerned and ‘following the situation minute by minute.’
‘I think the American democratic institutions are strong, and hopefully everything will return to normal shortly,’ he added.
Protesters made it into US Senate Chamber as Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump
Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest inside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said: ‘Enemies of democracy will be happy to see these unbelievable pictures from #WashingtonDC. Riotous words turn into violent acts — on the steps of the Reichstag, and now in the #Capitol. The disdain for democratic institutions is devastating.’
Protesters in Germany attempted to story the Reichstag government building in Berlin during a mass rally against coronavirus restrictions.
‘The United States Congress has been the symbol of freedom and democracy around the world for centuries,’ wrote Armin Laschet, the leader of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous federal state.
‘The attacks on the Capitol by fanatical Trump supporters hurt every friend of the United States,’ he said.
Wednesday’s ordinarily mundane procedure of Congress certifying a new president was always going to be extraordinary, with Republican supporters of Mr Trump vowing to protest over the results of an election that they have baselessly insisted was reversed by fraud.
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021
But even the unusual deliberations, which included the Republican vice president and Senate majority leader defying Mr Trump’s demands, were quickly overtaken.
In a raucous, out-of-control scene, protesters fought past police and breached the building, shouting and waving Trump and American flags as they marched through the halls.
One person was reported shot at the Capitol, according to a person familiar with the situation. That person’s condition was unknown.
The attack forced politicians to rush from the building and interrupted challenges to Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.
President Trump issued a restrained call for peace well after the protests was under way but did not urge supporters to disperse. Earlier he had seemingly egged them on to march to Capitol Hill.