I hadn’t started college by September 11th so I was at home and tuned into Sky News seconds after the second plane hit. I, like everyone else in the world, spent the rest of the day staring aghast a the TV, never fully comprehending what was happening.

A lot has been written in America with regards the European reaction to that day and the seemingly massive differences with the States. While nobody of sound mind could ever condone, support, defend or welcome what happened that day, Europeans, especially those from the mainland (I’m Irish) believe the root of these attacks lay in American Middle East policy. This is why I think there is such a massive difference in opinion with regards to Iraq.

The most amazing thing about September 11th for me was not the scale of the atrocity but the fact that it was being visited on American soil. While nearly every European country has experienced long term, organised and concerted terrorist campaigns America had not. So while the scale of these horrible deeds were far greater than anything ever experienced, perhaps we Europeans were, for want of a better word, more “battle hardened” than Americans.
Despite differences of opinion on future actions I think it is safe to say that everyone on this side of the Atlantic was utterlt disgusted at what befell America that day and pray that such pictures are never again seen.