The United States Capitol was put on lock down on Wednesday with lawmakers inside as Donald Trump supporters clashed with police, broke through barricades and entered the building.
Protesters were seen inside the building and people working inside were ordered by local safety officials to shelter in their offices. Trump supporters were seen walking through the building, waving flags and clashing violently with security. Some members of Congress were told to don gas masks after teargas was deployed inside the building.
Outside the building hundreds of supporters barged through police lines and took over the steps of the Capitol. Video showed injured police officers and violent tussles as they stormed the building.
The move meant that the Senate and the House of Representatives both recessed its debate over congressional certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory over Trump in November’s presidential election.
Local media reported that Vice-President Mike Pence was ushered out of the Senate and taken to a secure location. The Senate doors were closed and locked, and senators told to stay away from the doors and then evacuated.
Trump, and his allies, have baselessly floated conspiracy theories that the election was somehow fraudulently won by the Biden, though there is no evidence to support this.
The mayor of Washington DC, Muriel Bowser, ordered a curfew in America’s capital city that was set to begin at 6pm local time.
The process that the protests halted was the certification of the electoral college vote which is typically a ceremonial – and largely perfunctory – affair. However, a group of Republican lawmakers – spurred on by Trump — are trying to turn the usually routine debate into Trump’s last stand and a bid to reverse his election defeat.
Trump, who still has not conceded that he lost the election, has spent the last several weeks attempting to pressure public officials to overturn Biden’s 306-232 election win.
More details to follow…
Свежие комментарии