People who were in ANOTHER COUNTRY on 9/11/2001: What do you remember about news coverage of the event?

I was in Berlin on 9/11 and German TV blamed 9/11 on W Bush and Colin Powell for earlier openly siding with Israel, after which Islam stated they would

prepare attacks against the US mainland. Of course no body beleived Islam then.

I was in Switzerland, I remember the day well.

I was supposed to be going to train with my athletics club, but there was no-one there; it turns out there was a track meet on at another stadium which I had completely forgotten about.

So I hung around the track until about 6pm local time, and then headed home.

I got in around 7pm, so about 1pm US time, and my little brother raced up to me to tell me that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center, and that the towers had falled down.

Now, I was 11 years old and had never actually heard of the "World Trade Center", I initially thought he was talking about a rather scuzzy business park next to Geneva Airport, so it was only really over the course of the rest of the evening that I began to realise the significance.

The Swiss, and French TV channels were initially speculating on the cause, as was everyone, but I think they quite quickly pointed towards Al Qaeda (although I remember that Japanese cult Aum Shirinkyo being an early suspect). There was a fair amount of speculation that George W Bush had been warned, but that was playground rumour, rather than anything that was on the news.

There was pretty broad support for the US going into Afghanistan as well. Which really marks out a contrast to the invasion of Iraq two years later.

That was a long time ago. I was the Mayor of New York City on 9/11/2001, and I don't even remember that the event occurred!

All I can remember is Muslims dancing on rooftops.

Clinton pretended to be neutral with the Palestinians and wanted the israelis and Palestinians to settle. After Bush took over the policy changed and Bush became a hate-filled 100% ANTI-Semitic campaigner against the Arabs. You know what happened next, unfortunately.

Thank you :-)

Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Initially reporters thought it was some small plane that had crashed into

the twin towers. Later it was disbelief and confusion. Finally everyone

was devastated when one realized what had really happened.

I saw it initially on the televisions in various stores and assumed it was a Hollywood movie.

The crowds gathering staring at the scene in awed silence, alerted me to the fact it was real.

Such was the fallout here in England that there was an overwhelming eruption of sympathy, support and empathy towards the USA and especially New York, such that hadn’t happened, (I’m told) since WW2.

Of course, the subsequent reactions and conduct of the Bush administration soon wrecked all that.

I can only remember the video of the dancing Israelis (Mossad) when it happened.

I watched in Canada, just as the second plane was about to hit CBC pre-empted coverage for a show on the metric system.

base of 10 cool

I just took the time to write this

I was living in a small town in rural Northern Japan. I had quit smoking for a while, but as soon as I saw the second plane hit I went out and bought two packs of Mild Sevens from a nearby vending machine. People in the town were quite supportive since they knew I was from the East Coast of the U.S. Many people did not understand the motivation of the attack. People generally expressed the idea that overwhelming retaliation would be acceptable, although eventually the Iraq war became quite unpopular in Japan. Overall, there was extensive coverage in the Japanese media since a number of Japanese citizens were killed.

thejeff wrote:

I am putting together a presentation for my students, and I would love to hear first (or second) -hand accounts of anyone who was in another country with the planes hit.

Where were you? What do you remember? What were the people like? What was the mood of the news stations? The more detailed you can be, the better. (There are articles on this subject out there on the internet; however, I am looking for "untold" stories.)

I may bump this thread periodically, as I am soliciting responses from a small % of LRC; apologies in advance :-)

London, trading derivatives for an investment bank. Even before it hit the screens we knew something bad happened out there. Suddenly there was panic buying and panic selling. When it was clear what it was and there were live newsfeeds they sent everyone home early. Maybe they thought the City was a target too. I'll never forget on the underground people were just staring at the floor, not a whisper anywhere. Back home I gave shelter to a colleague of out of town. We watched CNN till middle of the night and he ended up sleeping on the couch. By pure luck that was the day I made most money while on that job, out of something that turned out to be positioned on the right way while this tragedy happened. It still gives me a bad taste after all these years.

I was in Gaza at the time, for UNRWA.

One of the biggest parties I have ever seen. Dancing, handing out candies...

It was a big day for Palestine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMOZvbYJMvU

karpopper wrote:

I watched in Canada, just as the second plane was about to hit CBC pre-empted coverage for a show on the metric system.

base of 10 cool

I just took the time to write this

Holy crap I hope you're being funny.

A show on the metric system???

I was watching the news and saw the footage and then saw the second hit live.

I was worried about my cousin as she was staying in New York and she was a few blocks down (she was OK). My friend's father died. My friend who was an EMT was called to the scene and when I went to visit her in New York I went back to ground zero with her for the first time.

I remember being scared seeing it on the news.

- I didn't really talk about it with anyone else. The news I watched it on (BBC) seemed really sombre and factual. It felt serious. I think a lot of people thought maybe it was the beginning of World War 3.

I was living in Australia at the time. I had been working 3rd shift and it was a rare night off...the night turned as we woke to the phone ringing with a call to "turn on the news". I watched the CNN feed the entire day in awe and I didn't go into work that night. I was on the phone with friends and family for hours (New Yorker, I am).

Most of my Australian friends were calling like crazy and offering their hearts and support. Neighbors were constantly asking about my family...Aussies are a good sort in that way. I think many Australians took it quite personally as well and it was an extra heavy day in the city I was in.

About 2 months after I flew back to New York. The security protocols had changed so drastically in such a small amount of time. Everything was knee-jerk reactions and nonsensical customs procedures. I went from flying regularly and quite freely between Oz and the US and Europe without much fuss, to suddenly shoeless and in a constant pat down. I watched little elderly Caucasian ladies get patted down, pointlessly. The heightened sense of fear had become a mechanism of intense scrutiny and security.

I visited the site 2 months after and a number of times beyond that. Definitely horrifying beyond belief and because I was so far removed from my country, people, and home, it always brings a heavy emotional memory. On the phone, "I everyone ok?" And hearing of a few cousins and friends who were in a panic waiting to hear about a loved one.

You have to realize that most foreign countries do not like the U.S.....and with good reason. This crap country bullies, bombs, and invades anyone that dares to cross us.

9/11 was an event that 3000 people perished in. A big number for the U.S., but not so big for most of the Mideastern countries that are bombed and attacked every day by US.

Compared to the amount of innocent men, women, and children the U.S. military kill each year, 3000 lives is a drop in the bucket.

Watched both CBC and CNN no huge difference. We went to a check out all the diverted planes on the tarmac (typical of every big airport in Canada) that day.