Two weeks before the swearing-in of the new US President Joe Biden, something unheard of happened: supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, a symbol of American democracy.
Hundreds, then thousands of protesters, some of them armed, stormed the premises, where the congressional session was to officially announce the results of the November presidential election.
Elected representatives of the people hid around the offices, and police and the FBI surrounded the building.
The situation calmed down late in the afternoon. Five people had died in the riots and dozens were arrested.
Later, politicians returned to work and declared Biden the winner of the election at four in the morning.
He accused Trump of »launching a complete attack on democracy.«
Many U.S. politicians are urging Trump to take responsibility, as he has urged supporters to attack democracy. Some even believe he should be removed from the presidency early.
Due to support for the rioters, his Facebook and Instagram accounts were also blocked until further notice.
Because Trump was also blocked from accessing Twitter, he borrowed an account from one of his associates and promised to »peacefully hand over« power soon after the riots. Immediately afterwards, however, he added that he »does not agree with the outcome at all.«
Points to Consider
- Do you know the meaning and the significance of the Capitol?
- Are you familiar with the rules of posting on Facebook and Twitter?
- Do you know someone who can’t accept defeat?
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The original version of this article was published on January 8th.
English translation courtesy of JL Flanner, Total Slovenia News, an English language website with news from and about Slovenia.