International leaders expressed shock and condemned the unprecedented scenes on Capitol Hill as a pro-Trump riot breached the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. “Disgraceful scenes in U.S. 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,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter. Disgraceful scenes in U.S. 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.— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 6, 2021European Union officials indicated their support for Biden on Wednesday, as pro-Trump extremists forced Capitol Hill into lockdown, interrupting the certification of Biden’s presidential victory. “I believe in the strength of US institutions and democracy. Peaceful transition of power is at the core. @JoeBiden won the election,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, wrote on Twitter. I believe in the strength of US institutions and democracy. Peaceful transition of power is at the core. @JoeBiden won the election. I look forward to working with him as the next President of the USA. https://t.co/2G1sUeRH4U— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 6, 2021″The outcome of this democratic election must be respected,” NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter. Shocking scenes in Washington, D.C. The outcome of this democratic election must be respected.— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) January 6, 2021Turkey’s Foreign Ministry released a statement Wednesday urging its citizens in the United States to avoid crowded places and confrontations. “We invite all parties in the USA to temperance and common sense. We believe that the USA will overcome this domestic political crisis in maturity,” it wrote in a statement. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called Wednesday’s riots “a grave attack against democracy.” The violent acts against American institutions are a grave attack against democracy. I condemn them. The American people’s will and vote must be respected— Jean-Yves Le Drian (@JY_LeDrian) January 6, 2021The Organization of American States also condemned the mobs. “The exercise of force and vandalism against the institutions constitutes a serious attack against democratic functioning,” the OAS General Secretariat on Incidents wrote in a statement Wednesday, urging a return to “much-needed rationality.”
…