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House Chairwoman Nancy Pelosi in the Capitol alongside US President Joe Biden (r.) And Senate Democratic majority leader Chuck Schumer
Photo: BILL CLARK / AFP
With a minute's silence, the two chambers of the US Congress recalled the violent attack on the Capitol a year ago.
Members of the House and Senate paused for a moment in view of the outbreak of violence on January 6, 2021.
But in the House of Representatives there were almost only Democrats present, and almost all Republicans stayed away.
The only two exceptions: former US Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, MP Liz Cheney.
House Chairwoman Nancy Pelosi paid tribute to the police officers who stood in the way of the mob at the memorial service.
"As we acknowledge the horrors of this day, we honor the heroism of so many."
"The attacks on our democracy continue"
The majority leader of the Democrats in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, warned: "The attacks on our democracy continue." The "big lie" spread by Trump is spreading "like a disease".
"If we do not all do our part to strengthen our democracy, there is a risk that the political violence of January 6th will become not just an exception, but, God forbid, the norm."
Supporters of the then Republican US President Donald Trump stormed the Congress headquarters in the capital Washington to prevent the election victory of the Democrat Joe Biden in November 2020 from being confirmed.
Five people were killed in the attack.
The attack on the heart of US democracy shook the country and caused international horror.
Trump had previously incited his supporters in a speech.
The unprecedented outbreak of violence was commemorated at various events in the US capital.
In a speech in the Capitol, Biden blamed his predecessor Trump for the bloody attack on parliament.
Biden criticized that his predecessor had followed the attack on the Capitol on television in the White House "and did nothing".
Trump has spun "a web of lies about the 2020 election" and puts his interests above those of the USA.
“His battered ego is more important to him than our democracy or our constitution.
He cannot come to terms with the fact that he has lost. ”Trump has so far left it open whether he would like to run again in the 2024 presidential election.
mrc / dpa
