Salzburg witnesses recall 9/11 and its lasting consequences

Twenty-five years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks shook the United States and the world, their consequences remain visible, according to ORF Salzburg. Historian Helga Embacher has examined the attacks’ global impact, while a doctor and a journalist from Salzburg recalled experiencing the events in New York.

ORF reporter Gudrun Kampelmüller was visiting New York privately with a friend when she heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center in a café. She immediately decided to cut short her trip and report on the events.

“I have experienced many disasters during my career as a reporter, including the Tauerntunnel fire and the Kaprun disaster,” Kampelmüller said. “It was clear to me that this was such a huge catastrophe that I could not continue privately.”

Kampelmüller reported from New York for three weeks, meeting emergency workers and speaking with relatives of victims. She said fear was widespread in the city, with many people believing that a Third World War might break out.

She particularly remembers the atmosphere at Union Square, where thousands of lights were displayed and many young people gathered. A woman stood up and sang “We Shall Overcome”, prompting those around her to join in.

Salzburg physician Friedrich Hoppichler was also in New York when the attacks took place. He was attending a medical conference and volunteered after doctors and other medical staff were called to help treat the injured.

“The injured arrived with smoke inhalation injuries, covered in dust,” said Hoppichler, a senior physician at the Barmherzige Brüder hospital in Salzburg. He recalled one woman who had been in a gym on a lower floor of the World Trade Center when the attack occurred.

She saw the plane hit the tower, Hoppichler said. Her husband was in a restaurant on one of the upper floors for a business breakfast. She tried to contact him, but was unable to do so.

Embacher, a Salzburg historian who lived in the United States for an extended period, identified the war in Afghanistan as one of the central consequences of the attacks. The war was supported by the United Nations and NATO, she said, but the so-called war on terrorism ultimately failed in Afghanistan.

“The Taliban are back, Europe and the United States have withdrawn, and the situation is now very bad again, especially for women,” Embacher said.

She also listed the Iraq war, which was fought without a United Nations mandate, and the rise of Islamist organisations such as Islamic State among the consequences of developments after September 11. The refugee movements of 2015 were also part of this broader context, she said.

According to Embacher, racism and hostility towards Muslims increased in both the United States and Europe after the attacks. She also pointed to antisemitic conspiracy theories, saying antisemitism had increased, particularly in radical left-wing circles, where alleged causes were quickly sought in theories involving the Mossad, the United States or its foreign policy.