'It's insurrection' says Biden, as he calls for 'simple decency' after US Capitol protests
Supporters of President Donald Trump set off a fire extinguisher after breaching security defences, as police move in on the demonstrate on the second floor of the US Capitol near the entrance to the Senate, in Washington on Jan 6, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS/Mike Theiler)
WASHINGTON: President-elect Joe Biden called Wednesday (Jan 6) for the restoration of “simple decency” after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol and delayed Congress from certifying the results of November's election.
Biden had planned to deliver a speech focused on how to revive the economy and provide financial relief for small-business owners reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, giving routine political remarks from a theatre in his native Delaware.
But shortly before he was to begin speaking, demonstrators broke into the Capitol building, reaching as far as the Senate floor.
“Our democracy is under unprecedented assault unlike anything we’ve seen in modern times,” Biden said adding that the violent and chaotic events were “an assault on the rule of law".
The Capitol building was locked down and police moved in with guns drawn as Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers were evacuated to secure locations. National Guard troops were deployed and a citywide curfew called for shortly after dusk, as rioters continued to occupy the seat of Congress for hours.
“I call on this mob to pull back and allow democracy to go forward,” said Biden.
In an address that took only about 10 minutes and was televised against a split screen of the still-occupied Capitol building, Biden attempted to project calm and to say that a deeply divided country can still come together.
He returned to themes that were a centrepiece of his presidential campaign, including finding common political ground, and pledged to be a president for all Americans, even those who did not vote for him.
But Biden also expressed shock and outrage.
“This is not decent, it’s chaos," he said.
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Biden, a Democrat who defeated the Republican president in the Nov 3 election, is due to take office on Jan 20.
The former vice president said that "it's not a protest, it's insurrection" for demonstrators to storm the Capitol, smash windows, occupy offices, invade the halls of Congress and threaten the safety of duly elected officials.
The unrest erupted as a joint session of Congress had convened to certify Biden’s election victory over President Donald Trump. But, in anticipation of that occurring, thousands of pro-Trump demonstrators amassed outside the Capitol. The president himself addressed the crowd, which cheered his baseless claims of voter fraud and were protesting the results of a free and fair election.
Trump’s supporters then moved to besiege the Capitol - triggering unsettling scenes of disorder unlike anything Washington has seen in recent memory. The mob was eventually cleared out of the building and Congress moved to resume certification.
Biden stopped short of accusing Trump of treason but said what happened “borders on sedition".
”The words of a president matter, no matter how good or bad that president is,” Biden said. “At their best, the words of a president can inspire. At their worst, they can incite.”
Biden called on Trump to “go on national television now, to fulfil his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege”.
In a video posted to Twitter, Trump repeated his false claims about election fraud but urged the protesters to leave.
"You have to go home now, we have to have peace," he said.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany also joined top congressional Republicans in urging an end to the violence and for the mob to leave the Capitol.
The top two Democrats in Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer, called on Trump to demand that all the protesters leave the Capitol and its grounds immediately.
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Biden’s original speech was delayed by more than an hour as his aides tore up the original, scheduled remarks and worked to craft a new statement that could address what was unfolding more than 100 miles away in the nation's capital.
There did not appear to be additional security around Biden or his motorcade. But as the president-elect huddled backstage, agents on his US Secret Service detail stood in their places in front of the stage where he was set to speak, which featured four American flags, for more than hour.
Upon beginning his speech, Biden said the events at the Capitol “do not reflect a true America. Do not represent who we are”.
“The work of the moment and the work of the next four years must be the restoration of democracy, of decency, of honour, of respect, the rule of law,” he said.
“Just plain, simple decency. The renewal of a politics that's about solving problems, looking out for one another, not stoking the flames of hate and chaos.”
READ: World stunned by violence in US Capitol as protesters attempt to overturn election
After concluding his remarks, the president-elect answered a journalist's question about whether he was worried about his safety on Inauguration Day in Washington on Jan 20.
“I am not concerned about my safety, security or the inauguration," Biden said. "The American people are going to stand up, stand up now. Enough is enough.”
