NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg joined the ranks of leaders maximizing the January 6 riot impact by referring to the day as an “attack” on democratic values.
“I’m wondering what you thought of the events on January 6 when protesters stormed the capital of NATO’s biggest ally,” AXIOS reporter Jonathan Swan pressed Stoltenberg in an interview.
“I regard that as an attack on the core democratic institutions of the United States and therefore also on core values of NATO,” Stoltenberg responded.
Stoltenberg, who became NATO secretary general in 2014, previously referred to the January 6 riot as “shocking” after not having said a word of criticism toward the Black Lives Matter riots that pervaded throughout the U.S. in the summer of 2020.
“Shocking scenes in Washington, D.C. The outcome of this democratic election must be respected,” he said on January 6.
Stripes noted the comment was “out-of-character for the NATO leader, who has made a point of not weighing in on the domestic politics of alliance members during his six-year tenure.”
Late, Stoltenberg stressed the importance of the U.S. ensuring “all those responsible are held accountable.”
During the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020, as far-left activists burned and looted their way through various major U.S. cities, Stoltenberg criticized former President Donald Trump for offering to deploy the military to maintain order.
“When it comes to the use of military there is different legislation across NATO-allied countries, but in all NATO allied countries it’s always regarded an effort of last resort, the use of military personnel,” Stoltenberg told Sky News.
“So this is fundamentally an issue that has to be decided by the US institutions, but across NATO it has always been a very high threshold for any use of military force in your own country,” he continued. “I am shocked, we are all shocked, by the death of George Floyd and I would like to express my condolences to his family, to his community.”