World leaders shocked by US unrest, call for peaceful transfer

Tear gas and bullets in the US Capitol building. Outrage and condemnation of leaders around the world.

“What is going on is wrong,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement on Thursday. “Democracy – the right of people to vote, to have their voice heard and then have that decision peacefully sustained – should never be undone by a crowd.”

The chaotic scenes of the taking over of the building at the center of American democracy by furious supporters of President Donald Trump are usually associated with countries where popular uprisings topple 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 interrupt a peaceful transition to power after a democratic election in a country that many around the world considered a model of democratic governance.

Some overseas observers have blamed Trump.

“We must call it what it really is: a deliberate attack on democracy by an incumbent president and his supporters, trying to overthrow a free and fair election! The world is watching! ”Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defense, Simon Coveney, said on Twitter.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “saddened by the events at the United States Capitol,” said spokesman Stephane Dujarric. “In these circumstances, it is important for political leaders to impress on their followers the need to abstain from violence, as well as to respect democratic processes and the rule of law.

Several countries, America’s allies and antagonists, have issued travel warnings to their citizens.

Australians were urged to avoid US protests after what Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described as “quite disturbing scenes” in the United States.

“The riots and protests we saw in Washington, DC, were terribly distressing. They are very worrying, ”Morrison told reporters shortly after the US Congress resumed proceedings on Wednesday night, Washington time.

“This is a difficult time for the United States, clearly. They are great friends from Australia and one of the biggest democracies in the world. And so … our thoughts are with them and we hope that the peaceful transition will occur, ”he said.

The Chinese Embassy in the United States also warned its citizens of the “serious” situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and the “large-scale protest march” in Washington that prompted the city government to impose a curfew.

Shock and disgust marked the reactions of many world leaders.

“Shameful scenes in the US Congress,” tweeted Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a loyal US ally for generations. “The United States defends democracy around the world and it is now vital that there is a peaceful and orderly transfer of power. “

Other friendly countries were equally shocked by what they described as an attack on American democracy, although some said they believed that US democratic institutions would withstand the turmoil.

“Trump and his supporters should finally accept the decision of American voters and stop stepping on democracy,” wrote German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Twitter. “Out of inflamed words violent acts arise.” 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, who has suffered several blows since independence – including one led decades ago by President Muhammadu Buhari, who recently took office via a vote .

India’s prime minister of the world’s largest democracy, Narendra Modi, said on Twitter: “Distressed to see news about disturbances and violence in Washington DC. The orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue. The democratic process cannot be subverted through illegal protests. “

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera and Colombian President Iván Duque were among those who denounced the demonstrators in Latin America, but both said they were confident that American democracy and the rule of law will prevail.

“In this sad episode in the United States, fascist supporters showed their true face: undemocratic and aggressive,” tweeted Luis Roberto Barroso, judge of the Brazilian Supreme Court and head of the country’s electoral court. He said he hoped that “American society and institutions will react vigorously to this threat to democracy”.

Venezuela, which is under US sanctions, said events in Washington show that the US “is suffering from what it has generated in other countries with its policy of aggression”.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has survived the efforts of the US-backed opposition 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 accessed social media and joked that US territory no longer wanted statehood. Independence, they said, looked attractive for the first time in decades.

In fact, this quest for independence marked one of the last times that the United States Congress was attacked violently. Four members of the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico opened fire in the Chamber in March 1954, injuring five lawmakers.

European Parliament President David Sassoli, who heads one of the largest legislatures in the world, also denounced the scenes on Capitol Hill. The European Union has spent four grumpy years dealing with the Trump administration, and its top officials have repeatedly said they want a better relationship with President-elect Joe Biden.

“This is an insurrection. Nothing less. In Washington, ”tweeted Carl Bildt, a former Prime Minister of Sweden.

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AP journalists from around the world contributed to this story.