During the rule of George Washington, it was decided that the rule of the political process would be the law that limits the presidency to two terms, that cannot be contested, not even through violent protests. 200 years later, these decisions are still considered among the greatest acts of George Washington and one of the most significant in the process of establishing constitutional democracy. Democracy is a system of agreements allowing joint decisions and respect for the result, whatever it may be. By contrast, the violence we witnessed on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021 is authoritarian. It is a way to make other people obey the will of the instigators. Therefore, the unprecedented attempt in modern American history to seize the Capitol in Washington shocked the world community (BBC, 2021).

This is a unique case in the US history. The last time the US Capitol came under a full-scale attack was in 1814 during the Anglo-American War. Then, British forces captured Washington and burned many government buildings, including the White House and the Capitol. However, since then, individuals and groups of people have staged or attempted to stage a terrorist attack or attack on Congressmen on several occasions (Kovalev,2021).

January 6, 2021 will be remembered as one of the darkest days in the United States history. Supporters of the incumbent President Donald Trump, after his speech at a rally in the United States’ capital, broke through the barriers to the Capitol and clashed with police and guards. They, like Trump himself, do not accept his defeat in the elections in the fall of 2020. And instead of being a day meant to symbolize a peaceful transfer of power, Wednesday will be remembered as the day when a crowd, encouraged and abetted by President Trump, stormed the Capitol and knocked out the windows on the doors of the House of Representatives, creating an armed confrontation. Unfortunately, this act cannot be called peaceful, as law enforcement officers had to use tear gas to disperse the protesters when the demonstrators managed to enter the building. The sounds of gunfire were heard in the building and weapons were confiscated from several protesters. At least four protesters were killed, including one woman. The circumstances of their death are currently unknown (Mylnikov, 2021). According to Capitol Police Chief Steven Sound, several dozen police officers were injured during the riots, and several law enforcement officers were hospitalized with serious injuries. This is regarded as an attack on democracy and the main mistake of the outgoing president. Furthermore, Vice President Michael Pence called it a sign of „the strength and strength“ of American democracy and the Senate will not be intimidated. In turn, Biden called on protesters in Washington to end the violence and „give way to democracy.“ He described what was happening as a rebellion, not a protest, that threatened the American democratic system. As a result, if Washington is remembered for his leadership deeds (he left behind a strong republic), then Trump will be remembered for violating his responsibilities and for how he weakened the republic he was supposed to serve.

Trump is believed to have attempted a coup d’état to prevent Biden from becoming president, as part of a campaign to delegitimize his presidency and weaken the role of the new administration. According to the majority of the publishing house, Donald Trump failed both tests of the first president. He could not voluntarily and gracefully leave his post. And instead of trying to stop the violent protest, he encouraged it. Although later a video appeared on the Internet with an appeal to the protesters, it was not enough and too late (BBC, 2021; Demidova, 2021; Izvestia, 2021).

A few hours after the riots, the building of the US Congress came under the control of the authorities again. Lawmakers later resumed the meeting and continued the counting of the electoral votes. On the same day, January 7, Congress officially approved Democrat Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States. He is expected to be inaugurated on January 20th. Following the approval from Congress, Biden received more than 270 electoral votes, which finally exhausted the constitutional possibilities for challenging the voting results (Demidova; 2021).

As a result of the violent protest, the National Guard was sent to Washington. A curfew has been imposed, from 18.00 local time on January 7 and only those who have a special permit are allowed to be on the streets. A state of emergency has been declared in the state of Virginia, which borders the District of Columbia, Governor Ralph Northham said. And Trump’s social media accounts were blocked due to fears that he might try to provoke additional unrest. And now the House of Representatives of the US Congress has launched an impeachment procedure against Trump. He is the first president in history to be impeached twice. Further, the case will be sent to the Senate, which is currently controlled by the Republicans (Venkina; 2021; Izvestia; 2021).

At the moment, events occurring in the United States are being commented on by officials of other countries and international organizations. The most developed countries blame Donald Trump for the unrest. The fact that President Trump has not admitted defeat since November was confirmed in January. Under these conditions, it is important that political leaders instil in their supporters the need to refrain from violence, respect democratic processes and the rule of law, and not vice versa. Secondly, they condemned the events in Washington and declared that the American democracy would prevail (BBC; 2021).

The country faces a daunting task of recovery. Joe Biden, judging by his experience and attitude, seems to be a good fit for this. But the damage done is enormous. Democratically minded people in the United States need to show unity in order to isolate the „virus“ that harms democracy, that is, Donald Trump.

Author: Anastasiia Shevchenko

Photo Source: Eurotopics.net (2021). What to make of the Capitol storming. https://www.eurotopics.net/en/254038/what-to-make-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol

Sources:

  1. BBC. (2021). „One of the darkest days in US history“: world media on the capture of the Capitol and the future of Donald Trump. bbc.com

Link: https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-55569899

  1. Venkina, E. (2021). Assault on the US Congress. Dw.com Link: https://www.dw.com/ru/shturm-kongressa-ssha-pjatikratnomu-medalistu-olimpiad-kelleru-predjavleny-obvinenija/a-56220047

  2. Kovalev, A. (2021). The day Trump supporters took over Congress will definitely go down in history. Meduza.io Link: https://meduza.io/feature/2021/01/07/den-kogda-storonniki-trampa-zahvatili-kongress-tochno-voydet-v-istoriyu-v-ssha-voobsche-takoe-byvalo

  3. Izvestia. (2021). The White House condemned the storming of the Capitol building. iz.ru. Link: https://iz.ru/1109120/2021-01-08/belyi-dom-osudil-shturm-zdaniia-kapitoliia

  4. Mylnikov, P. (2021). What are the memories of the riots in the US capital on January 6. Dw.com Link: https://www.dw.com/ru/chem-zapomnilis-besporjadki-v-stolice-ssha/a-56153414

  5. Demidova O. (2021). Trump supporters burst into the building of the US Congress. Dw.com Link: https://www.dw.com/ru/storonniki-trampa-ustroili-besporjadki-u-zdanija-kongressa-ssha/a-56150148

  6. BBC. (2021). „This is not America.“ How the world is commenting on the events in Washington. bbc.com Link: https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-55574098

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