The police's reaction to a Black Lives Matter protest would "never" be like this, US Democrats in Belgium said in a reaction to the violent pro-Trump riots in Washington DC on Wednesday.
"The racial injustice here is deafening," Democrats Abroad said in a statement. "Many armed - mostly white - people who illegally trespassed and broke into the Capitol wielding guns were then allowed to walk off the Hill and disperse."
"The police would never have responded this way for a Black Lives Matter protest, or any other protest led by people of colour," they said.
As Congress was gathered to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the US elections, hundreds of pro-Trump protesters made their way past police to breach the US Capitol in what Democrats Abroad is calling "a coup attempt by armed terrorists incited by Trump and his Republican allies."
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The protest sparked shocked reactions from around the world, including from Belgian politicians, with Prime Minister Alexander De Croo expressing “shock and disbelief” at the events at the Capitol.
In the meantime, Biden's win has been certified by the US electoral college, and current President Donald Trump has said there will be an “orderly transition” of power on 20 January.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
