TOP UN OFFICIALS SADDENED AT MOB VIOLENCE DURING US CAPITOL BREACH

Fri 08 January 2021:

Several thousand protesters marched on the US Capitol in Washington DC, the heart of American democracy and home to the House of Representatives and the Senate, after being addressed by President Trump and his supporters outside the White House, who are continuing to make false claims of election rigging.

Top UN officials, including the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly have expressed sadness over the violence that erupted on Wednesday.

Michelle Bachelet, in a statement, said her office supports calls from many quarters for a thorough investigation into the events around the storming of the building that houses the US Congress.

“We are deeply troubled by Wednesday’s attack on the US Capitol, which demonstrated clearly the destructive impact of sustained, deliberate distortion of facts and incitement to violence and hatred by political leaders.

“Allegations of electoral fraud have been invoked to try to undermine the right to political participation. We are encouraged to see that the process has continued in spite of serious attempts to disrupt it,” she said.

“We call on leaders from across the political spectrum, including the president of the United States, to disavow false and dangerous narratives and encourage their supporters to do so as well.

“We note with dismay the serious threats and destruction of property faced by media professionals yesterday,” said Bachelet.

“The Secretary-General is saddened by the events at the US Capitol in Washington DC, on Wednesday,” a spokesperson for António Guterres said, in response to questions from correspondents.

“In such circumstances, it is important that political leaders impress on their followers the need to refrain from violence, as well as to respect democratic processes and the rule of law.”

As President of the UN General Assembly,I’m saddened & concerned by today’s developments at the Capitol in #WashingtonDC.The US is one of the world’s major democracies. I believe that peace & respect for democratic processes will prevail in our host country at this critical time.

— UN GA President (@UN_PGA) January 6, 2021

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an international organization that promotes world-wide parliamentary dialogue and representative democracy, also denounced the violence.

“The IPU and the parliamentary community strongly condemn the violence and the assault on the US Capitol by protestors on Wednesday 6 January”, the body said in a statement.

“The integrity of this bastion of democracy and of the representatives of the people of the United States must be respected”, it urged.

Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary General said he was “deeply dismayed” by the news of the violence.

“This is an unacceptable and disgraceful assault on democracy and its representatives,” he said.