Leaders around the world condemned the storming of the United States 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.
But Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison stopped short of criticising Mr Trump for inciting the violence,saying"it is not for me to offer commentary on world leaders".
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the US protests at the Capitol building ‘distressing’ scenes and announced travel advice changes to the affected areas.
Mr Morrison said the storming of US Congress was"disgraceful","heartbreaking"and"terribly distressing,terribly concerning".
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the scenes in Washington were"disgraceful".
"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,"he said on Twitter.
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"contempt for democratic institutions has disastrous effects".
Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama,who first seized power of the Pacific Island nation in a bloodless military coup in 2006,the country's third coup in six years,before winning two democratic elections,called the protesters actions"an affront to democracies around the globe".
"True and genuine democracy is a precious treasure that no nation should ever take for granted. We are confident the USA will soon close this ugly chapter once and for all,"he tweeted.
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