BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany on Thursday placed the blame for the mob violence at the U.S. Capitol a day before squarely on President Trump, although she and other leaders of the United State’s strongest allies in Europe expressed faith in the strength of American democracy. “These pictures made me angry and sad,” Ms. Merkel said, speaking before an online gathering of her conservative party’s Bavarian partners, the Christian Social Union, minutes after the United States Congress confirmed President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory. “I deeply regret that since November, President Trump has not accepted that he lost, and did not do so again yesterday,” the chancellor said. “He stoked uncertainties about the election outcome, and that created an atmosphere that made the events of last night possible.”Ms. Merkel grew up in Communist East Germany and has spoken frequently about her admiration for the United States, even in the face of tensions between Berlin and Washington during her more than 15 years in power. Her comments on Thursday reflected a deep-seated faith in the strength of democracy in the United States held by many in Europe.

Source: International New York Times January 07, 2021 11:15 UTC