The US Capitol descended into chaos yesterday as thousands of supporters of outgoing Donald Trump staged an attempted coup at the president’s urging.
The rowdy supporters rioted and breached the halls of
Congress while elected officials were beginning to certify Mr Joe Biden’s
presidential election win, and gained access to the floor of the Senate,
setting off an armed standoff with law enforcement in the House of
Representatives.
A shot was apparently fired inside the Capitol, according
to a witness video posted to social media, which showed a person draped in a
Trump flag slumping to the floor.
“This attempted coup is Trump’s fault. This is what the
president has caused today, this insurrection,” Senator Mitt Romney told a
reporter.
The insurrection, egged on by an aggrieved Trump who
refuses to concede an election he has firmly lost, came when his supporters
stormed the Capitol yesterday morning, with many supporters breaking through
barricades of police officers and breaching the doors.
With the violence already underway, Trump tweeted asking
for his supporters at the Capitol to “remain peaceful.”
The chaotic scene at the Capitol was unprecedented. Rioters
waving Trump flags and banners ostensibly in support of police openly clashed
with law enforcement officials, who seemed unprepared for the onslaught of
people that the president has been promising for days now.
Members of Congress said tear gas was being dispersed
inside of the Capitol building, with members being asked to grab the gas masks
below their chairs. As Capitol Police told members to prepare to relocate to
their cloakrooms, Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen yelled, “Call Trump! Call your
friend!” according to a pool report.
The violence from Trump’s supporters had been brewing
openly for weeks on the pro-Trump internet, where supporters have been publicly
promising violence against lawmakers, police, and journalists if Congress did
not comply with Trump’s demand to overthrow the results of the 2020 election.
Just after 2.15 pm, the House and Senate recessed and
Capitol Police locked the doors to the House gallery, warning members not to
leave, as House leaders were escorted out, according to pool reports.
Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota reportedly
yelled, “This is because of you,” apparently in reference to his Republican
colleagues objecting to certifying electoral results. — Agencies.
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