(Washington) World leaders on Sunday expressed outrage over the attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who was shot and wounded at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Read “Disgust and Condemnation on the Canadian Scene”
The former White House resident was hit in the right ear. The alleged shooter and a spectator were killed, two other spectators were seriously injured.
UN/NATO
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned “unequivocally this act of political violence.”
“Political violence has no place in our democracies. NATO allies stand united to defend our freedom and our values,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on X.
Americas
“Everyone must condemn” these shootings, declared US President Joe Biden, who spoke Saturday evening with his rival in the November presidential election.
Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called on advocates of democracy and political dialogue to “strongly condemn” the attack.
“As a country that has suffered violence, we reaffirm that it has no place in the political and electoral debate,” the Colombian government said.
“Despite our deep ideological and political differences, violence, wherever it comes from, must always be rejected by everyone,” Bolivian President Luis Arce said.
Europe
For the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell, “once again, we are witnessing unacceptable acts of violence against political representatives.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, “shocked by the shooting”, said that “political violence has no place in a democracy”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the assassination attempt “despicable,” saying political violence poses a threat to democracy.
For French President Emmanuel Macron, “this is a tragedy for our democracies. France shares the shock and indignation of the American people.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his dismay: “Political violence in any form has no place in our societies.”
His Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban sent “thoughts and prayers” to Donald Trump “in these dark hours”.
The head of the ultraconservative Italian government Giorgia Meloni expressed “her solidarity”, asking that “dialogue and responsibility prevail over hatred and violence”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “such violence has no justification and no place in this world.”
For Russia, which also condemned the attack, it comes as no surprise. “After numerous attempts to remove candidate Trump from the political arena using legal tools first […] “It was obvious to all outside observers that his life was in danger,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
PHOTO SAMUEL CORUM, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Joe Biden spoke from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, after his opponent Donald Trump was injured at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he was “appalled” and said “political violence is unacceptable in our democratic societies.”
The attempted assassination of Trump is a “moment of shock not only for America, but for the entire free and democratic world,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said.
His Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, strongly condemned “the assassination attempt against the 45e President and candidate for President of the United States.
Asia
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday expressed “compassion and sympathy” to Donald Trump. “China is closely following the situation regarding the shooting of former President Donald Trump,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for “standing firm in the face of any form of violence that challenges democracy.”
His Indian counterpart Narendra Modi said he was “very concerned”. “I strongly condemn this incident. Violence has no place in politics and in democracies,” he said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the attack “worrying,” expressing relief that Mr. Trump was safe. He said that “political violence in all its forms is never acceptable in our democracies.”
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said he was relieved that former President Donald Trump “is doing well.”
Middle East
“We pray for his safety and speedy recovery,” wrote Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Secondly, after an Israeli cabinet meeting dominated by the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Mr Netanyahu said he himself had received “a flood of explicit threats of murder”.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has expressed his hope that the US election campaign will continue in “a peaceful and healthy atmosphere.”
Qatar’s foreign ministry said that regardless of the motives behind the attack, it shows “the need to adopt dialogue and peaceful means and avoid political violence and hatred to resolve conflicts at all levels.”
Africa
“The attack is despicable and goes beyond democratic norms. Violence has no place in a democracy,” reacted on X Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, who “is currently in solidarity with the United States.”
“I am horrified” by this “odious act,” said the recently elected Senegalese president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, on X: “universal democratic values and the freedom of choice of the American people must not be silenced.”
Vatican
The Holy See expressed its “concern” following this attack which “hurts people and democracy.”