Paying tribute to the victims of the 11 September terrorist attacks in 2001, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphasised the perpetrators did not manage to “shake our belief in democracy.”
"While the terrorists imposed their burden of grief and suffering, and while the threat persists today, we can now say with the perspective of 20 years that they failed to shake our belief in freedom and democracy; they failed to drive our nations apart, or cause us to abandon our values, or to live in permanent fear.”
The coordinated terrorist attacks in the United States cost the lives of nearly 3,000 people, including 67 Britons.
"The fact that we are coming together today - in sorrow but also in faith and resolve - demonstrates the failure of terrorism and the strength of the bonds between us."
Johnson also brought up the return of the Taliban movement’s control in Afghanistan – accused of harbouring Al Qaeda head Osama bin Laden - 20 years after they had been removed from power by US-led forces.
Johnson said "the recent events in Afghanistan only strengthen our determination to remember those who were taken from us, to cherish the survivors and those who are still in mourning and to hold on to our faith in freedom and democracy."
The Brussels Times
