Unrest on Capitol Hill Like "Carnage" of Feb. 8: Dr Jameel

The refusal of former US President, Donald J. Trump, and his supporters to accept Congress' declaration of Joe Biden's electoral victory, and the resulting unrest is very similar to the "carnage" the Maldives on February 8, 2012, the former Vice President, Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, has said.

February 8, 2012 was when former President Mohamed Nasheed; still fresh from his resignation the previous day; took to the streets with masses of his angry supporters. Many of Nasheed's supporters committed acts of arson in G.Dh. Thinadhoo and Addu City.

In a recent tweet, Dr Jameel said that he was "sad" to see such "appalling scenes" at Capitol Hill. Directed to the American ambassador to the Maldives, Alaina Teplitz, and the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi: Dr Jameel asked if "the USA still claim to be the beacon of hope for democracy".

He observed that the unrest at Capitol Hill "will only fuel [more] violence and division". Highlighting the similarities between Donald J. Trump and former President Nasheed, he wrote that "wrong leaders can lead to destruction as we witnessed during the 8 Feb 2012 carnage and burning of police stations and courts in our country".