World

Violence at Capitol Hill: Twitter, Facebook Suspends Trump’s Account As Obama Condemns President Amid Curfew

Published

4 years ago

January 7, 2021

Eric

Former U.S. President Barack Obama has said history will not be kind to incumbent President Donald Trump over the violence that erupted at the Capitol, Washington D.C, on Wednesday.

The Capitol Building is the seat of the American Congress, equivalent to Nigeria’s national assembly.

This newspaper had earlier reported how pro-Trump protesters had besieged the Capitol in a move to prevent the Congress from certifying the electoral college votes that gave Joe Biden, candidate of the Democratic Party in the November 2020 election, victory.

In the chaos that ensued, a woman, identified as a 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt, former Air Force veteran from San Diego, was shot. She died in the process. Three more persons also reportedly died in ”medical emergencies.”

Several police personnel and protesters were said to have been injured in the ensuing violence leading to a declaration of curfew by the local police chief.

After the Capitol had been secured and some sort of normalcy restored, the Congress and the Senate later reconvened to continue with the congressional certification of Mr Biden’s electoral college victory.

However, condemning the violence mostly perpetrated by Mr Trump’s supporters, Mr Obama said “history will rightly remember today’s violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election, as a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation.”

Mr Obama, a strong Biden backer, said Americans would be kidding themselves if they treated the chaos as a total surprise.

He blamed the Republican Party and the conservative media for egging on their followers to go violent should Mr Biden’s victory be upheld.

“For two months now, a political party and its accompanying media ecosystem has too often been unwilling to tell their followers the truth — that this was not a particularly close election and that President-Elect Biden will be inaugurated on January 20. Their fantasy narrative has spiraled further and further from reality, and it builds upon years of sown resentments. Now we’re seeing the consequences, whipped up into a violent crescendo.

He advised the Republican leaders to accept the reality of an impending Biden presidency in order to save America or they can choose to continue stoking the raging fire.

“I’ve been heartened to see many members of the President’s party speak up forcefully today. Their voices add to the examples of Republican state and local election officials in states like Georgia who’ve refused to be intimidated and have discharged their duties honorably. We need more leaders like these — right now and in the days, weeks, and months ahead as President-Elect Biden works to restore a common purpose to our politics. It’s up to all of us as Americans, regardless of party, to support him in that goal,” Mr Obama said.

Mr Biden, 78, who defeated Mr Trump in both the popular votes and at the Electoral College, will be sworn in, alongside his vice president-elect, Kamala Harris, on January 20.

Mr Biden polled 306 votes against Mr Trump’s 232 in the electoral college votes.

Mr Trump has, however, continued to vow that he will not concede power to Mr Biden.

For posting unverifiable claims of fraud in the November election and for tweeting in support of the chaos at the Capitol before telling his supporters to be ”peaceful”, Twitter has blocked Mr Trump’s account.

Facebook has also suspended his account for 24 hours.

Premium Times

World

Elon Musk Threatens Financiers of Attacks Against Tesla with Prison

Published

1 day ago

April 9, 2025

Eric

Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, has vowed that those who financed the attacks against Tesla will go to prison.

Last month, multiple Tesla vehicles were set ablaze in Las Vegas.

Musk condemned the act, calling it an “evil attack.”

Eventually, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced charges against three people responsible for setting Tesla properties on fire in Las Vegas.

Bondi described the violent attacks on Tesla property as “nothing short of domestic terrorism.”

However, several weeks after the incident, Musk revealed in a tweet on X that those who financed the attacks against Tesla will go to jail.

“Those who financed the attacks against Tesla will go to prison,” Musk tweeted on Tuesday.

USA

‘Hands off’: Millions of People Join Protests Against Trump and Elon Musk Across All US States

Published

4 days ago

April 6, 2025

Eric

Millions of people took part in protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk across all 50 states and globally on Saturday, organized by a pro-democracy movement over “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms.

According to CNN, over 1,400 “Hands Off!” mass-action protests were held at state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security’s headquarters, parks and city halls throughout the entire country – anywhere “we can make sure they hear us,” organizers said.

“Hands Off!” demands “an end to this billionaire power grab.”
“Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you,” the event flyers state. “We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.”

Nearly 600,000 people had signed up to attend the events, some of which took place in major cities like London and Paris, according to Indivisible, one of the organizations leading the movement in collaboration with a nationwide coalition that includes civil rights organizations, veterans, women’s rights groups, labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocates.

Organizers say they have three demands: “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.”

World

Jonathan Wins 2025 Sunhak Peace Prize, Tinubu Reacts

Published

2 weeks ago

March 25, 2025

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Following the pronouncement of former President Goodluck Jonathan as the winner of the 2025 Sunhak Peace Prize, President Bola Tinubu has sent his hearty congratulations.

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the President acknowledged Jonathan’s pro-democracy stand, and efforts across the globe to sustain democratic principles. He noted that Jonathan has been a consistent advocate for “peace, harmony, and communality, a patriotic endeavour that has earned him global recognition”.

While thanking the organizers of the Prize for recognizing the ‘efforts of those working hard to improve the world’, he recalled Jonathan’s 2015 act of singular supervising the transition of power to an opposition government, stressing that “it bolstered the nation’s democratic profile”.

The statement in details:

“President Bola Tinubu congratulates former President Goodluck Jonathan on winning the 2025 Sunhak Peace Founders’ Award.

“President Tinubu applauds the former President for his consistent advocacy for peace, harmony, and communality, a patriotic endeavour that has earned him global recognition.

“The President states that Dr Jonathan’s winning the Sunhak Peace Award affirms his bold efforts in peacebuilding and promoting democracy in Africa and beyond.

“The President recalls the former President’s historic acceptance of the results of the 2015 presidential election and his peaceful handover of power to an opposition party, which bolstered the nation’s democratic profile.

“President Tinubu celebrates this landmark achievement with former President Jonathan and thanks the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee for recognising the efforts of those working hard to improve the world.”