Trump Supporters Riot at US Capitol... Merkel and Macron Unite in Condemnation

Merkel "Trump Creates Atmosphere for Possible Violence"
Macron "Will Not Succumb to Violence by a Minority"
Criticism Also from Iran and Israel

On the 6th (local time), a video message posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on Twitter, addressing the protesters who stormed the federal Congress, is being broadcast on the TV in the White House briefing room. In the one-minute video posted two hours after the supporters' storming of the Capitol, President Trump directly urged the protesters to disperse, saying, "Go home now." [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the riot in which supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC.

On the 7th (local time), ahead of the Christian Social Union's New Year private meeting, Chancellor Merkel said, "We all witnessed the disturbing scenes of the storming of the U.S. Capitol yesterday," adding, "Those scenes made me angry and sad."

Chancellor Merkel pointed out, "Unfortunately, President Trump did not concede his defeat," and "He fostered doubts about the election results, creating an atmosphere that made such violence possible."

Regarding the U.S. Congress certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory, she added, "The power of democracy ultimately prevailed," and "It will be proven that American democracy is much stronger than the Capitol rioters."

French President Macron also said about the incident, "This was not America," and "We believe in the power of democracy, and we believe in the strength of American democracy."

French President Emmanuel Macron captured a video on Twitter on the 7th (local time) commenting on the U.S. Capitol siege incident. President Macron said, "We will not yield to the violence of a minority that wants to challenge democracy."
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In a three-minute video posted early that morning on Twitter, President Macron pointed out, "In the country with the longest history of democracy in the world, supporters of the outgoing president took up arms against the legitimate election results."

He emphasized, "France stands firmly with all American citizens who choose their leaders and decide their fate and lives through democratic and free choices," and "We will not succumb to the violence of a small minority challenging this."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, hostile to the U.S., also criticized the event as "an incident revealing the vulnerability of Western democracy."

According to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, President Rouhani said on the 7th (local time), "What happened last night in the U.S. clearly showed how vulnerable Western democracy is and how fragile its foundations are." He also said, "Despite advances in science and industry, we witnessed how much populism has affected this country."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meeting U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who was visiting Israel that day, said regarding the storming of the U.S. Capitol by protesters, "Lawlessness and violence are contrary to the values of Americans and Israelis as we know them." He added, "It is shameful. It must be strongly condemned."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.