Washington:President Joe Biden has said that the January 6 riot at the US Capitol was not dissent but disorder and termed the vicious attack an existential crisis, asserting that while the American democracy survived, it must be protected by standing up to hate, lies and extremism.
President Biden issued a statement on Tuesday recognising the six-month mark of the insurrection while seeking national unity to restore decency, honour and respect for the rule of law. Together, let us demonstrate to ourselves, and to the world, the enduring strength and the limitless capacity and goodness of who we are as Americans, Biden said.
Not even during the Civil War did insurrectionists breach our Capitol, the citadel of our democracy. But six months ago today, insurrectionists did. They launched a violent and deadly assault on the people's house, on the people's representatives, and on the Capitol police sworn to protect them, as our duly elected Congress carried out the sacred ritual of our republic and certified the Electoral College vote, he said.
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In an unprecedented assault on democracy in America, thousands of angry supporters of ex-president Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol on January 6 and clashed with police, resulting in casualties and interrupting a constitutional process to affirm Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election.
The police, outnumbered by the maskless protesters, had a tough time in managing the mob, as hundreds of protesters breached security and entered the Capitol building, where members of the Congress were going through the process of counting and certifying the Electoral College votes Both the House and Senate and the entire Capitol were placed under lockdown. Former vice president Mike Pence and lawmakers were evacuated to safe locations.
This was not dissent. It was disorder. It posed an existential crisis and a test of whether our democracy could survivea sad reminder that there is nothing guaranteed about our democracy, Biden said. But while it shocked and saddened the nation and the world, six months later, we can say unequivocally that democracy did prevailand that we must all continue the work to protect and preserve it, he said.