In the middle of the process of certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s presidential victory, an angry pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol Building, forcing the lawmakers to evacuate the building in the first time since 9/11.
This riot was fueled by the beliefs that the election of 2020 was rigged against President Donald Trump, though there is currently no solid evidence of this. The President has repeatedly refused to concede, stating that he “will never concede.” These accusations of voter fraud and corruption have been believed by many, and led to this mob storming the Capitol Building.
The last time the Capitol Building was stormed like this was in 1814, during the War of 1812, in which British forces burned down multiple major public buildings, including the Capitol.
A criticism many people have brought up on social media is the difference between the police forces for the Capitol mob and the BLM protests. BLM protests took place a block away from the building yet there had been “excessive use of force” by the police forces and army, according to the national guard commander who was there.
Many are confused as to why there was not this amount of force when the mob was raiding and looting a government building, calling this attack an act of domestic terrorism.
Soon after the raid, President Trump released a video that was soon taken down by Twitter in which he told the rioters “We love you, you’re very special…but go home.” This caused many social media platforms to ban the President, either temporarily or indefinitely.
The attack was seen by people all over the world through social media and TV, leading world leaders who were allies and friends of the USA to respond, horrified.
“Democratic process cannot be allowed to be subverted through unlawful protests,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“In the eyes of the world, American democracy tonight appears under siege,” Josep Borrell, European Union Minister of Foreign Affairs, wrote on Twitter.
“Trump and his supporters should finally accept the decision of the American voters and stop trampling on democracy,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tweeted.
