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We Are All Americans: The World's Immediate Response to 9/11

By Haley Sweetland Edwards

Mourners pay their respects outside the U.S. Embassy in London on September 13, 2001.
Mourners pay their respects outside the U.S. Embassy in London on September 13, 2001. / Anthony Harvey/Getty Images
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In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, people all over the world stood shoulder-to-shoulder in mourning, solidarity, sympathy, and friendship with the people of the United States. Here are a few of those international reactions, both organized and spontaneous, that occurred in the days following September 11, 2001.

In London, "The Star-Spangled Banner" played during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, while traffic came to a standstill in The Mall nearby.

In China, President Jiang Zemin was quick to offer his condolences and condemn “all violent activities by terrorism.”

In France, Le Monde, a well-known newspaper, ran a headline reading, “We Are All Americans.”

In the Middle East, both Israeli president Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat condemned the attacks. Arafat was also shown donating blood to the victims on 9/12. Kuwaitis lined up to donate blood as well.

In Tehran, an entire stadium of people gathered for a soccer match observed a moment of silence, and in Turkey, flags flew at half-staff.

In Berlin, 200,000 people packed the streets leading to the Brandenburg Gate on September 14, 2001, as a memorial to the victims of the attacks.

In Dubrovnik, Croatia, schoolchildren took a break from classes to bow their heads in silence.

In Dublin, shops and pubs were closed for a national day of mourning, and people waited in a three-hour line to sign a book of condolences.

In Azerbaijan, Japan, Greenland, Bulgaria, and Tajiskitan, people gathered in squares to light candles, offer good wishes, and pray.

An unidentified woman and young girls hold candles during a memorial service dedicated to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attack on the U.S. while standing in front of the main gate of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan.
An unidentified woman and young girls hold candles during a memorial service dedicated to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attack on the U.S. while standing in front of the main gate of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. / Junko Kimura/Getty Images

Firefighters in Hungary tied black ribbons to their trucks, and in Ukraine, people lined up to write in a book of condolences at the embassy in Kiev.

The Cuban government offered medical supplies.

In Italy, Pope John Paul II, unable to contact President George Bush by phone, sent a telegram expressing his profound sadness.

Multiple countries declared national days of mourning, and the legendary bells of Notre Dame echoed throughout Paris.

ampueroleonardo/iStock via Getty Images

In Belgium, people held hands, forming a human chain in front of the Brussels World Trade Center.

This article originally ran in 2011; it has been updated for 2021.

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