The world witnessed in horror as an angry mob stormed the Capitol Hill in Washington DC on Wednesday (January 6). The violent incident in the capital of a country, which portrays itself as the champion of democracy, shocked many across the world.
The chaos led to the declaration of emergency in Washington DC for 15 days and leaders of different countries expressed their concerns and urged everyone to uphold the democratic values.
Who stormed the US Capitol and why?
A group of supporters of United States President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol in order to stop the certification of the election results. Incidentally, Trump had lost to Democrat Joe Biden in last year's presidential elections.
Even before they entered the state building, Trump supporters were protesting against the certification of Biden's victory. As many of the country's lawmakers gathered for a joint session in the House of Representatives at the Capitol to count electoral votes and declare Biden's victory, the demonstrators outside clashed with the Capitol security and mounted the walls of the building.
Violence at the legislative branch of US government
The mob of Trump supporters managed to get past the security and entered and looted offices of the US representatives, including that of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The security had by then evacuated the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The breach resulted in the demonstrators breaking windows and pushing through barricades and creating havoc within the building.
It took four hours for the security personnel to clear the demonstrators and secure the building. CNN reported that at least four people died, including a woman who was shot inside the Capitol building.
Trump blamed for incident
Many lawmakers including those from his own Republican Party blamed Donald Trump, saying that he had directed his followers to head towards the Capitol. Trump had incidentally kept on with his claim that the election was rigged and asked his supporters not to accept the results of the elections, in which Biden won. Trump was even banned from social media for instigating his supporters, following the Capitol chaos.
After the attack
After the Capitol building was secured, the lawmakers reconvened for their joint session and confirmed Joe Biden's victory in the elections. Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers condemned the incident, while some called for Trump's impeachment a few days before his term as the US President comes to an end. Trump also conceded defeat hours after the violence and pledged orderly transition of power.
President-elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated on January 20.
