[ad_1]
US President-elect Joe Biden has criticized the “insurrection” by pro-Trump rioters who stormed the US Capitol and demanded an end to their “siege.”
The Democrat called on outgoing President Donald Trump to “step up” and repudiate the violence.
In a tweeted video, Trump repeated the debunked claims that the vote was “stolen” but urged protesters to “go home.”
A joint session of Congress confirming the votes of the electoral college has been suspended and forced into recess.
What did Biden say?
Biden said: “I call on President Trump to appear on national television now to fulfill his oath, defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege.
“Breaking into the Capitol, breaking windows, occupying offices on the floor of the United States Senate, rummaging through desks, in the House of Representatives, threatening the safety of duly elected officials.
“It is not protest, it is insurrection.”
What did Trump say?
Trump responded in a video recorded on Twitter, repeating his unproven allegations of fraud in the November White House election.
“I know your pain. I know you are hurt,” said the Republican president, who leaves office on January 20.
“We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a crushing election, and everyone knows it, especially the other side.
“But you have to go home now. We have to have peace.”
Twitter added a warning tag to the tweet, citing the controversial claim of voter fraud and “risk of violence.”
-
People who still believe Trump won
- Can Rogue Republicans Revoke Elections?
- What is the electoral college?
What’s going on at the Capitol?
There have been reports of guns drawn in the building and at least one person shot.
A woman was reported to be in critical condition after sustaining a neck injury.
There has been an armed confrontation at the gates of the House of Representatives.
Tear gas has also been used.
Members of Congress have been told to evacuate the building or stay where they are. A congresswoman tweeted that she was staying in her office.
Vice President Mike Pence called on the rioters to leave the Capitol immediately, saying the violence and destruction “must stop now.”
Protesters were seen marching through the building shouting “We want Trump” and one was photographed in the chair of the Senate president.
The city-wide curfew has been declared from 18:00 to 06:00 (23:00 to 11:00 GMT) by the mayor of Washington DC.
There are also reports of protests in the Kansas and Georgia state legislatures.
image copyrightReuters
‘Give us the building’
By Laura Trevelyan, BBC News, Washington
On the steps of the Capitol, hundreds of loyal Trump supporters huddle close together, while nearby armed police keep watch closely.
The atmosphere here is tense and challenging.
“They were not [expletive] Antifa! “A man yells at the police, referring to the loose coalition of” anti-fascist “activists who oppose Trump.
Trump loyalists near him wave banners that read “show us the ballots.”
“All we want is for the Capitol police to stand down and hand over the building to us,” one man tells news cameras, while being filmed by other Trump supporters.
The conviction here is that the election was stolen from President Trump, and the lawmakers inside the building must do their duty and somehow grant him the election.
Never mind that election officials have certified the results and the courts have dismissed Trump’s campaign lawsuits alleging fraud because there is no evidence.
It’s a siege mentality here, as word spreads through the crowd that the National Guard is on its way to the Capitol.
What were the protesters aiming at?
A joint session of Congress was being held to certify Biden’s electoral victory on November 3.
Procedures are usually brief and ceremonial, but Republican lawmakers have objected to some results.
image copyrightReutersFor days, Trump has also been pressuring Pence, who is chairing the session, to block certification of the result.
But in a letter sent to Congress on Wednesday, Pence said he had “no unilateral authority to decide which electoral votes should be counted.”
The protesters marched onto Capitol Hill from a “Save America Rally,” where Trump had urged them to support lawmakers who opposed Biden’s confirmation.
Trump, who has refused to budge in the Nov. 3 election, said early Wednesday: “We will never give up. We will never give in.”
He has also tried to cast doubt on the integrity of Tuesday’s second round in the Senate in the traditionally Republican southern state of Georgia, where two Democrats are expected to have won.
If Democrats win both, they will gain effective control of the Senate, something that will help Biden push his agenda after he takes office on January 20.
