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China, Iran mock ‘fragile’ US democracy after riot sees Trump supporters storm Capitol: ‘A beautiful sight’

'What we saw in the United States yesterday evening and today shows above all how fragile and vulnerable Western democracy is,' Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said

China and Iran have made fun of the riots at the Capitol building that saw hundreds of Donald Trump supporters trying to ruin Joe Biden’s certification. The violent protests saw the deaths of at least four people while 52 arrests were made. Leaders, as well as people in the country, reacted to the deadly demonstrations, but the clash also gave chance to other nations to express their thoughts on the scenario.

China's Communist Youth League soon took to the Twitter-like Weibo platform and labeled the riots as a "beautiful sight". Comparisons were also made to Washington's response to the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests that happened in 2019. China state-affiliated media, Global Times, wrote on Twitter, “@SpeakerPelosi once referred to the Hong Kong riots as 'a beautiful sight to behold' — it remains yet to be seen whether she will say the same about the recent developments in Capitol Hill.”

Foreign ministry spokeswoman of China, Hua Chunying, said though Hong Kong protests were more brutal, they did not see anyone dying. “We also wish that US people can enjoy peace, stability and security as soon as possible," Hua added. While Iran's President Hassan Rouhani in a televised speech said, “What we saw in the United States yesterday evening and today shows above all how fragile and vulnerable Western democracy is. We saw that unfortunately the ground is fertile for populism, despite the advances in science and industry. A populist has arrived and he has led his country to disaster over these past four years. I hope the whole world and the next occupants of the White House will learn from it."

Rouhani also asked the succeeding government “to make up (for the past) and restore the country to a position worthy of the American nation, because the American nation is a great nation", The Sun reported. A tweet from Russia's deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy stated, “Quite Maidan-style pictures are coming from DC. Some of my friends ask whether someone will distribute crackers to the protesters to echo Victoria Nuland stunt. My guess is that chances are meagre, there is no US Embassy in Washington! [Winking face] #ElectoralCollegeChallenge #WashingtonDC,” as he gave an example of his visit to Ukraine in 2013 when US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland offered food to protesters. An op-ed from Russia's state-run news outlet RT read, “Do you realize now what you have done? US gets the kind of 'democracy' it championed overseas."

However, there were many leaders around the globe that showed their concern over the event. "What happened today in Washington DC is not American, definitely. We believe in the strength of our democracies. We believe in the strength of American democracy,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a video message on Twitter. The Prime Minister of the UK called it “disgraceful” as he tweeted, “Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. 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.”

Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood said, “Your supporters - @realDonaldTrump - violent protesters damaging & looting the seat of democracy. The most shameful unpatriotic scenes playing out across the world -causing untold long term damage to America. Trump: end this siege now before it spirals further out of control." While a statement from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated: “In such circumstances, it is important that political leaders impress on their followers the need to refrain from violence, as well as to respect democratic processes and the rule of law.”