Capitol violence - The African Mirror

Jul

2021

U.S. panel hears of ‘medieval’ Capitol violence by pro-Trump rioters

A congressional committee has held its first hearing investigating the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack, with testimony by four police officers who struggled against a mob of then-President Donald Trump's supporters engaging in "medieval" violence and warnings from lawmakers against whitewashing the riot. At the Democratic-led House of Representatives investigatory committee's first hearing, the officer, Aquilino Gonell, described being pummeled by rioters fired up by Trump's false claims that the election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud. "What we were subjected to that day was like something from a medieval battlefield. We fought hand-to-hand and inch-by-inch to prevent…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

The Siege of Capitol Hill: The shame of the US laid bare for the world to see

MULTIMEDIA

The insurrection by supporters of outgoing US president Donald Trump, who breached security at Capitol Hill, the heart of American democracy, has laid bare the racial divisions that are the proverbial millstone that have hung around its neck for decades. The ease with which Trump supporters, all white, were able to access and damage offices of elected representatives has been contrasted with the heavy handedness with which the US security forces treated the Black Lives Matter protesters - who were teargassed and arrested. So, American’s oldest problem - racism - reared its ugly head as the country faced its newest…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

After Capitol violence, Trump faces removal and staff exodus

WORLD

ANDY SULLIVAN and JONATHAN LANDAY THE top two Democrats in Congress have called for President Donald Trump to be removed from office, one day after his supporters stormed and vandalized the U.S. Capitol in a harrowing assault on American democracy. With 13 days left in Trump's term, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer both said Vice President Mike Pence should invoke the U.S. Constitution to remove him from office before then. Absent that, they said Congress should move quickly to expel him through the impeachment process. "We are in a very difficult place in…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Top China adviser reported among White House resignations after Capitol violence

WORLD

STEVE HOLLAND WHITE House deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger has resigned, according to media reports, joining a number of officials who are leaving the administration of President Donald Trump in the wake of violence on Capitol Hill. Pottinger, a leading figure in the development of Trump's China policy, resigned on Wednesday in response to Trump's reaction to a mob of protesters who breached the U.S. Capitol, CNN reported, citing a person close to Pottinger. Bloomberg first reported the resignation. The White House had no immediate comment, although sources had told Reuters Pottinger's departure was expected. Four people died during…