US Capitol violence: World leaders express disappointment over the chaos

London, Jan 07: Leaders around the world condemned the storming of the US Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, expressing shock at the chaos unfolding in a country they once relied upon for global leadership.

"Disgraceful scenes in US Congress," tweeted Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, a staunch ally of the United States over generations. "The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power."

Other allies were similarly appalled at what they described as an attack on American democracy, though some said they believed US democratic institutions would withstand the turmoil.

Some leaders singled out Trump for harsh criticism. "Trump and his supporters should finally accept the decision of the American voters and stop trampling on democracy," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas wrote on Twitter.

"From inflammatory words come violent deeds." He added that "contempt for democratic institutions has disastrous effects." "The beauty of democracy?" with a shrug emoji was the reaction tweeted by Bashir Ahmad, a personal assistant to the president of Nigeria, which has seen several coups since independence - including one led decades ago by President Muhammadu Buhari, who most recently entered the office via a vote.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and Colombian President Ivan Duque were among those in Latin America who denounced the protesters, but both also said they were confident that American democracy and the rule of law would prevail.

"In this sad episode in the US, supporters of fascism showed their real face: anti-democratic and aggressive," tweeted Luis Roberto Barroso, Brazilian Supreme Court justice and the head of the countrys electoral court.

He said he hoped "American society and institutions react with vigor to this threat to democracy." Venezuela, which is under US sanctions, said the events in Washington show that the US "is suffering what it has generated in other countries with its politics of aggression."

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has survived US-backed opposition efforts to oust him despite accusations of human rights abuses, civil unrest and a humanitarian crisis that has forced millions to flee the oil-rich country.

In Puerto Rico, many people took to social media and joked that the US territory no longer wanted statehood. Independence, they said, looked appealing for the first time in decades. In fact, it was that pursuit of independence that marked one of the last times the US Congress was stormed violently.

Four members of Puerto Ricos Nationalist Party opened fire on the House floor in March 1954, wounding five lawmakers. Italians watched the events with shock, having always considered the US to be the model of democracy and the country that rescued Italy after its fascist descent during World War II.

"This is the widely anticipated outcome of Trumpism," tweeted a retired Italian center-left politician, Pierluigi Castagnetti. "And unfortunately it wont end today. When politics is replaced by deception and fanaticism of the people the drift is inevitable."