January 6th, 2021 one of the most miserable days in the history of the United States. The nation, who taught us the value of democracy, the power of democracy, the positive effects of democracy its democracy was threatened when protestors attacked the United States capitol (parliament), broke into the building and created a chaos in the 200 year old building, the pillar of democracy. Now why did the protesters attack the capitol? Why didn’t the police stop the people from breaking into the capitol? How did other nations react to this tragedy? Where does this event leave the U.S.A? Let’s find out here at Truly Global.
Why did the protestors attack the capitol?
On 6th January the Senate and the House was supposed to meet jointly to open and count certificates of electoral votes from the 50 states and the District of Columbia, in alphabetical order. The process is spelled out in great detail in the U.S. legal code, right down to the Jan. 6 date and the hour (1 p.m.) at which the joint session begins. The candidate who reaches 270 electoral votes is the winner.
Trump spent more than an hour-long speech at the Ellipse near the White House repeating his false claims that the election was stolen from him through voter fraud. He called on Pence to reject the Electoral College votes from a handful of battleground states, power the vice president does not have, racketing up pressure on one of his most loyal aides to stick by his side in a last-ditch attempt to defy Congress and the Constitution. Even as Trump spoke, Pence had arrived at the Capitol with a letter in which he acknowledged he lacked “unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not.” Still, Trump urged Pence to “come through for us,” and said supporters would “walk down to the Capitol” to protest against Republicans who refused to back his effort to overturn the election. The president’s son Donald Trump Jr. was blunter in a speech before Trump took the stage and said “We’re coming for you.” The crowd listened. After the president concluded his remarks, a large crowd waving Trump flags began gathering at the Capitol West Front. Clashes soon broke out with Capitol Police, and rioters succeeded in breaking through police barricades guarding entrances on the east side of the building. With the perimeter breached, the mob streamed up the steps on the House and Senate sides of the Capitol and broke into the building. What followed was mayhem on a level not seen inside the Capitol in more than two hundred years.
Why didn’t the police stop the people from breaking into the capitol?
After the attack on the parliament you must be thinking where were the security and law enforcement officials, who had been strongly deployed ahead of Black Lives Matter protests over the summer, where were they this time? Normally, state and local officials can call out their local divisions of the National Guard, but that’s not true in D.C., where it has to be the president, given that D.C. is not a state. It seems to me entirely possible that the reason that the National Guard did not deploy in advance of the event was because the president called them off. If we were to discover that, then I would think that removal by the 25th Amendment would be absolutely indicated and that Donald Trump might well be prosecuted after leaving office for sedition.
How did other nations react to this tragedy?
After the tragedy on January 6th many nations have of shown their concern and support and some have mocked the U.S democracy. Below is a sample of the commentary from world leaders and senior diplomats:
China:
"We believe that the American people want safety and tranquillity, especially in the severe situation of the current epidemic, we also hope that the American people can enjoy peace, stability and security as soon as possible," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.
An editorial column posted by China's state-run foreign news outlet CGTN on Thursday gloated on behalf of the Communist Party, blaming not just Mr. Trump, but the entire American political system and both parties that lead it for the unrest. U.S. politicians' "never ending campaigning seems to have turned them into bite-making machines who forget their actual job descriptions (sic) is to solve problems, not keeping their position in Washington at the expense of everybody outside of it," CGTN charged.
United Kingdom:
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said "Disgraceful scenes in US Congress.” “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," Johnson tweeted.
Iran:
"What we saw in the United States last night showed the failure and frailty of Western democracy in the world," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Thursday in his first remarks on the assault on Capitol Hill.
"The spread of populism in the United States and the arrival of someone like Trump to power created great problems for America and the world, especially in the Middle East," the president added.
Russia:
"Quite Maidan-style pictures are coming from DC," ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Twitter on Wednesday, referring to 2014 protests in Ukraine that toppled Russian-backed President Viktor Yanukovich. "Some of my friends ask whether someone will distribute crackers to the protesters to echo Victoria Nuland stunt," he mocked, citing a 2013 visit to Ukraine when then-U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland offered food to those who had taken to the streets demanding the pro-Kremlin president step down.
Later, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the chaos "an internal U.S. affair," and blamed it not on any individuals, but the U.S. system of governance.
"The electoral system in the United States is archaic, it does not meet modern democratic standards, creating opportunities for numerous violations, and the American media have become an instrument of political struggle," she told Russian news agencies. "This is largely the reason for the split in society now observed in the United States."
"The holiday of democracy is over," said Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the upper house of Russia's parliament, in a Facebook post. "This, alas, is actually the bottom, I say this without a shadow of gloating. America no longer charts the course, and therefore has lost all rights to set one, let alone to impose it on others."
Japan:
"We are hoping for a peaceful transfer of power," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato.
"We decline to comment on President Trump's political style as this is about U.S. domestic affairs," he added. "But we hope to see democracy in the United States overcome this difficult situation, calmness and harmony regained, and a peaceful and democratic transfer of power."
France:
"What happened today in Washington DC is not American," French President Emmanuel Macron said in a video message posted on Twitter.
"We believe in the strength of our democracies. We believe in the strength of American democracy," he said, speaking in English.
Israel:
Prime Minister of Benjamin Netanyahu denounced as "disgraceful" what he called a "rampage" at the U.S. Capitol.
"I have no doubt that American democracy will prevail," he added. "It always has." The Prime minister began by saying he had always been personally inspired by American democracy.
Canada:
"American democratic institutions are strong and hopefully everything will return to normal shortly," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a radio interview.
United Nations:
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "saddened" by the events at the U.S. Capitol, his spokesman said. "In such circumstances, it is important that political leaders impress on their followers the need to refrain from violence, as well as to respect democratic processes and the rule of law," U.N. spokesman said in a statement.
NATO:
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter “the shocking scenes in Washington, D.C. The outcome of this democratic election must be respected.”
Where does this event leave the U.S.A?
U.S.A has damaged its image in front of both friends and enemies. Donald Trump and those who have sustained and supported him have helped to put U.S.A on a par with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, and North Korea, rather than strengthening its relationships with its traditional democracies such as Canada and Western Europe. America has to do an awful lot to restore its image and trustworthiness with regard to its traditional allies.
Now after you have completed reading this extensive post you must be wondering can such a type of thing happen in my country an authoritarian leader provoking the people to attack the parliament in the name of “nationalism” and ”patriotism”? Well it is very easy to check, just take a look at 2020 and see how many violent protests (in assistance to the govt.) have taken place in your country and has the government take action against them? Did they face any allegations for their decision? If no then you know where your country is heading. Wait for another 5 to 10 years to see a similar type of situation.
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