Indian-American groups condemn attack on US Capitol

Trump Gives UP

Published : Jan 8, 2021, 12:30 PM IST

Updated : Jan 8, 2021, 1:30 PM IST

12:56 January 08

Trump supporters in Washington D.C

Renounce false, dangerous' narratives: top UN human rights official tells Trump

United Nations: The attack on the US Capitol clearly demonstrated the destructive impact of sustained distortion of facts, incitement to violence and hatred by political leaders, the UN's top human rights official has said while calling on American President Donald Trump to disavow false and dangerous narratives.

We are deeply troubled by Wednesday's attack on the US Capitol, which demonstrated clearly the destructive impact of sustained, deliberate distortion of facts, and incitement to violence and hatred by political leaders, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Thursday.

Noting that the allegations of electoral fraud were invoked to try to undermine the right to political participation, Bachelet said she was encouraged to see that the process has continued in spite of serious attempts to disrupt it.

We call on leaders from across the political spectrum, including the President of the United States, to disavow false and dangerous narratives, and encourage their supporters to do so as well, she said.

Thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday and clashed with police, resulting in four deaths and interrupting a constitutional process by Congress to affirm the victory of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the November 3 election.

12:20 January 08

Indian-American groups condemn attack on US Capitol

Washington: Indian-American groups have strongly condemned the storming of the Capitol Hill by President Donald Trump's supporters, describing the incident as an assault on the US democracy.

"The violent attack on the United States Capitol was disgusting. This act of sedition, stoked by Donald Trump, is a threat to our country and to every American's rights and wellbeing. It must not be tolerated, said Ajay Bhutoria, national finance committee member of Biden 2020, and one of the vice chairs of the Presidential Inauguration Committee.

He asserted that the scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect the true America.

"The United States of America built the most powerful economy in the world in no small part due to the stability of our government and the peaceful transfer of power we have enjoyed for generations," he said.

Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDEF) in a statement condemned in the strongest terms the assault on the Capitol by "extremists" in a misguided attempt to overturn the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

Violence has no place in democratic protest. Disinformation intended to sow distrust in our democratic processes has no place in a democracy. We strongly denounce those who encouraged and enabled this violence, SALDEF executive director Kiran Kaur Gill said.

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) also condemned the violence, chaos, and anarchy that unfolded at the US Capitol building on Wednesday.

It was a sad day for America and for democracy at large, it said in a statement.

Hindu Americans are uniquely attune to the foundations of and threats to democracy, as many of us trace our heritage to the Republic of India, the world's largest democracy. Hindu values and ideals are American values and ideals and the bonds between our people, our commitment to freedom, equality, and representative democracy remain unshaken, the HAF said.

The Alliance to Save and Protect America from Infiltration by Religious Extremists and Coalition of Americans for Pluralism in India condemned the presence of Indian tricolour by rioting mobs at the Capitol Hill.

PTI

11:44 January 08

Leaders gives up over capitol violence

US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao

US Transportation Secy resigns in protest over Capitol violence

Washington: US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has announced her resignation in protest over the chaos and violence that rocked Capitol Hill.

With her resignation announced on Thursday, Chao, who is the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, became the first member of outgoing President Donald Trump's cabinet to step down in the wake of Wednesday's protests, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a letter to her colleagues at the Department of Transportation, Chao said her resignation will take effect on January 11.

"Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the President stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed.

"As I'm sure is the case with many of you, it has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside.

"It has been the honour of a lifetime to serve the US Department of Transportation," she added in the letter.

Chao also mentioned that "we will help my announced successor (South Bend) Mayor Pete Buttigieg with taking on the responsibility of running this wonderful department".

The 67-year-old has served as Transportation Secretary since 2017.

She was previously the Labour Secretary under former President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009.

Protesters in support of Trump's futile efforts to reject the 2020 presidential election results breached the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon, when Congress met to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.

Chaos and violence forced an hours-long lockdown on the Capitol grounds, which also left four people dead, with multiple injuries and dozens of arrests.

Trump has been roundly criticised for inciting the unrest with unproven claims that the election was fraudulent.