Wednesday a protest started outside of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. as Congress began its process to count the Electoral College votes for president.

Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District Representative Randy Feenstra says he supported the peaceful protest as it began earlier in the day. However, the protest then turned into a violent riot as groups of people breached the Capitol. Feenstra condemned the violent behavior of those involved.

“I’m just devastated by what has happened. We have the freedom of speech, we have the First Amendment right to protest peacefully. That did not occur. That damages our democracy. The world is watching us, and we have this free country, and this not the way we want to show the world how democracy operates.”

Feenstra reported he and his staff were able to get out of the chamber and into a secure location while law enforcement restored order. Congress halted all proceedings mid-afternoon and started the Electoral College counting again early Wednesday evening.