Brussels – Democracies have stood firm and Western societies have remained free: those who sought to instil fear have failed, but the lesson that remains is a call for unity and alliances. A quarter of a century from the terrorist attacks of 11 September – when 19 members of the Islamist terrorist group Al-Qaeda hijacked four planes (operated by United Airlines and American Airlines), crashing two of them into the Twin Towers in New York and killing 2,996 people – the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and other European leaders are coming together to remember the victims, that day and the political messages. No one, however, is even attempting to examine the response to those acts – the war in Afghanistan – or its outcome.
“25 years ago, the world stood still. Riveted to screens, we watched in horror and disbelief as the Twin Towers fell,” von der Leyen recalled, describing a moment with which many Europeans may identify. “Today, we remember. The nearly 3,000 people who left home that morning and never returned. The firefighters, police officers and first responders who ran into the smoke and dust and saved countless lives. The families who have borne the weight of loss for a quarter of a century. 9/11 was the most consequential event of the turn of the century. And it revived the importance of alliances and collective security. Europe knew immediately where it stood. We stood with America.”
In the wake of the attacks, “for the first and only time in its history, NATO invoked Article 5”, which states that “an attack against one is an attack against all,” von der Leyen pointed out. Therefore, “We stood together in defence of the principles that unite us across the Atlantic: freedom and democracy.” The result was the war in Afghanistan, which then lasted twenty years and, in August 2021, saw Western forces leave the country in a matter of hours, as the Taliban quickly retook it. According to von der Leyen, “Those who carried out the attacks wanted to spread fear far beyond New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania,” but “25 years later, we know they have failed. Our democracies endured. Our societies remained free. And the ideology of terror failed to impose its grip on our world.” But one lesson remains, according to the Commission President. “Today, the threats we face have changed” but “We live once again in troubled geopolitical waters, marked by great-power rivalry, war and confrontation between states.” In this context, however, “ the lesson of September 11 remains. In moments of danger, our alliances matter. Our unity matters. And the values we choose to defend matter.” Now, von der Leyen adds, “Where the Twin Towers once stood, two columns of light now rise into the New York sky. They defy oblivion. They carry the memory of those we lost. And they remind us that light triumphs even on the darkest of days.”
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas noted that “Europe and America immediately stood together” and that “European Allies rallied to defend America,” with “Hundreds of thousands of European troops served shoulder to shoulder with their US Allies in Afghanistan. Many paid the ultimate price.” A quarter of a century later, she said, “Europe remains fully committed to strong ties with the United States. Our transatlantic bond has always made both sides of the Atlantic safer and stronger.”
According to the President of the European Council, António Costa, “225 years ago, the United States – and the values of freedom, democracy and tolerance that we share across the Atlantic – were targeted in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.” A quarter of a century later, “today, we remember the thousands of lives lost and all those whose lives were changed forever. We honour the victims, their families, and the courage of those who came to the aid of others,” he posted on X.
Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, expressed remembrance and emotion. “Twenty-five years on, the world still remembers where it was when everything changed. Time stands still around the memory of September 11 2001. The lives lost, the families left behind, and the extraordinary courage of the heroes who ran towards danger so others might live. Today, we honour them all. Europe remembers,” she wrote.
The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, noted on X that “25 years ago, terrorism did not attack only the heart of the United States, but the entire free world,” which, however, “knew how to unite and stand firm in the awareness of what it represents.” Today’s anniversary “reminds us that democracy and security are not taken-for-granted achievements. They are pillars of our civilisation, which we have the duty to preserve together.” The Prime Minister took the opportunity to stress that “Italy has been and will continue to stand alongside its allies in the fight against terrorism, in the tradition of defending the values that unite our Nations.” On this anniversary, “Our heartfelt thoughts, today as then, go to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks and their families. We do not forget.”
Germany, too, reaffirmed its solidarity with the US, defusing the apparent tensions following Donald Trump’s congratulations on the AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt and the cancellation of the planned telephone call with Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In two posts on X commemorating the 11 September 2001 attacks, Merz stressed that, “at the time, as Germans, we felt just how much we shared with our American friends,” and “we knew that the terrorist attacks were also an attack on our way of life.” Even today, “Germany remains determined to stand with the United States in defending the values that define and unite us: freedom, democracy, and respect,” he added. On Wednesday (9 September), a few hours after the US President reacted to the Alternative für Deutschland’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt, Merz cancelled a scheduled telephone call with Trump. A spokesperson for the Chancellor announced the news without explaining the reasons, referring only to “scheduling conflicts”. The spokesperson therefore did not respond to the White House chief’s comments, but noted that the Chancellor had often opposed, “in general terms”, “interference or comments on the domestic political situation, particularly concerning elections.” Merz also stressed this point – that of respect – in his post commemorating the 11 September attacks.
Tribute and solidarity also came from French President Emmanuel Macron, who said that “September 11, 2001 remains etched in the world’s memory.” In a post on X, Macron stressed that “we do not forget the lives cut short, nor the courage of those who risked everything to bring aid.” He added: “To the victims, the families, the American people, I express France’s tribute and its brotherhood.”
Finally, the British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, pointed out on X that among the nearly 3,000 victims there were also 67 British citizens. “Time may pass, but I know the grief is still felt just as deeply today,” he wrote. According to the Prime Minister, “we must remember that hatred and fear did not have the last word on 9/11” because whilst “the terrorists sought to weaken and divide America, and everyone who believes in the values our countries share. But our response was clear: those who seek to destroy our way of life will never prevail.” Burnham noted that he “saw that same defiance” when, during his time as Mayor of Manchester, the city “was the victim of two horrific terrorist attacks. I will never forget the messages of support and friendship from people across America who knew better than anyone the suffering of our city. Some of the children of those killed in the 9/11 attacks wrote to the families of the people killed in Manchester, and they said this: We are you and you are us. We are one,” he recalled. “We will never forget these terrible events, but we refuse to be defined by them. Terror still knocks on the door of democracy, but the United Kingdom and the United States stand together in memory of those we lost, and in defence of the values we cherish,” he said.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
