France: Ten-Story Towers Replica
Thousands gathered in the Place du Trocadero in Paris where the Eiffel Tower served as a backdrop for two 80-foot replicas of the World Trade Center towers. The replica towers were inscribed with the names of all 9/11 victims and had signatures and messages from people in the United States and France. People in the square commemorated the impact on the first tower and the collapse of the second in real time. Both U.S. and French ambassadors spoke at the event, which was sponsored by French nonprofit The French Will Never Forget. The organization was founded in the wake of anti-French sentiment over France’s stance against the Iraq war. French media put out special memorial stories for 9/11 and elsewhere in Paris and the country performances, ceremonies, and special exhibitions took place to commemorate the victims of the terrorist attacks.
United Kingdom: Roses for Remembrance
A white rose was laid for each of the 67 British victims of 9/11 at a ceremony in the Sept. 11 memorial gardens next to the American Embassy in London. The Prince of Wales spoke at the ceremony, which was also attended by the Duchess of Cornwall, Prime Minister David Cameron, the U.S. ambassador, and London’s mayor. The memorial garden was built by the British government in 2003 as a permanent memorial to those who lost their lives on Sept. 11. Outside the embassy, around 100 members of radical Islamic groups protested shouting anti-American slogans and some setting fire to an American flag. Nearby other Muslims staged a counterprotest against Islamic extremism.
Canada: Ceremonies Across the Country
The anniversary of Sept. 11 was marked across Canada, both to remember those Canadians who died and the tragedy that befell their closest neighbor 10 years ago. Toronto Emergency Services held a 21-gun salute for the emergency workers who died. In Ottawa, the National Arts Centre held an open-air symphony Hope and Remembrance Concert. Airports in several cities, received plaques as a mark of gratitude from U.S. diplomats in thanks for opening their airports and homes to diverted planes and passengers. In Gander, a small airport town in the eastern province of Newfoundland and Labrador, remembered how nearly 7,000 stranded passengers found food and hospitality from the kitchens and homes of the people there. Prime Minister Stephen Harper attended a ceremony in Hanover Square in New York City. Canada has designated September 11 as a National Day of Service.
Australia: Memorial Along the Lake
Hundreds gathered for a twilight ceremony on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra. Candles were lit and Australia’s Prime Minister and the U.S. ambassador to the country remembered those who had fallen in the 9/11 attacks. Prime Minister Julia Gillard recounted a story of human solidarity, telling how Australian firemen returned a helmet given to them by a New York firefighter who perished when the World Trade Center collapsed. ”After September 11, Kevin Dowdell’s remains could not be found But that helmet was found in Australia,” Gillard said. The Australian firefighters gave the helmet to Dowdell’s sons, who also attended the Australian commemoration Sunday, according to local media.
Japan: Marking Twin Tragedies
In Japan, the anniversary of 9/11 this year is overshadowed by another, more painfully poignant memorial: exactly six months since the earthquake and tsunami killed almost 20,000 people. Twenty-four Japanese nationals perished in New York the day of the attacks, most were employees at the Fuji Bank (now Mizuho Bank) office at the World Trade Center. Another two Japanese died on the hijacked airliners. Families of the victims gathered at Mizuho Bank’s headquarters in Tokyo, where they placed flowers before a glass case containing steel from ground zero. Meanwhile, on Japan’s northeast coast, everything stopped at precisely 2:46 p.m., local time, to observe a tear-filled minute of silence on the minute the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck half a year ago.
Poland: Flowers, Candles, and a Cross
Starting Sunday morning, residents of Warsaw came to the U.S. Embassy to pay their respects to the victims of 9/11. They left flowers and lit candles. Franciscan monk Tadeusz Wojcik brought a 12-foot cross to the embassy, resolving to hold it up all day himself and encouraging passersby to spare a thought and extend a prayer for those killed in the tragedy. Six Poles were killed on 9/11. On it’s website the Polish Embassy said that more than just remembering tragedies, the world must act to prevent them, “We can actively promote intercultural and religious dialogue among civilizations for the sake of tolerance,” it said.
Sweden: Small But Solemn Ceremony
In the Swedish capital of Stockholm, a small but touching ceremony was held in the garden of the residence of the U.S. ambassador. U.S. Charge d’Affaires William Stewart, as well Swedish Minister for Justice Beatrice Ask, delivered commemorative speeches. Poetry was also recited, a gospel choir sang, and a bell tolled on the times the four airplanes crashed. Only one Swede died in the Sept. 11 attacks, 25-year-old David Tengelin, who worked at the 100th floor of the north tower for the insurance company Marsh.
