Italians slam 'unacceptable' violence in US Capitol

There was shock amongst Italians on the streets of Rome on Thursday at events on Capitol Hill in Washington the previous evening, with many blaming outgoing US President Donald Trump.

"I saw these terrible images that nobody ever would have expected to see on Capitol Hill in Washington," said Rome resident Gisella Suparaku.

Francesco Marzano, another Rome resident, said he thought the protesters were "spitting" on the US constitution and the will of the people, and what happened was a "mirror of what has always been the politics of a person like Donald Trump".

Dramatic Italian newspaper headlines announced "The End", "Gunshots on Democracy," and "USA – Day of the Coup" and "Assault on the USA Congress".

After the violence on Wednesday, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte tweeted that he was following events with "great concern".

"Violence is incompatible with the exercise of democratic rights and freedoms. I am confident in the strength and robustness of the institutions of the United States," he wrote.

His tweet was posted in Italian and English and got over one million retweets in both languages.

Conte's concerns were echoed in tweets by leaders across the political spectrum. Opposition leader Matteo Salvini from the League Party tweeted, "Violence is never a solution, never. Long live liberty, democracy, always and everywhere."

Italian foreign minister Luigi Di Maio, from the Five Star movement, tweeted: "We strongly condemn any form of violence, and we hope that there will soon be an orderly and peaceful passage of power."

Nicola Zingaretti, leader of the Democratic Party, tweeted,:"This is where political extremism takes us."

(Image credit: AP)