Show of solidarity

"I feel that it was not just the United States that was attacked, it was the whole free world."
By : Chad Garrison

   Across Warsaw last week crowds gathered in sorrow and disbelief in response to the terrorist attacks launched against the United States. While news of the death tolls from New York and Washington D.C. continued to mount, people here expressed the one emotion they could – solidarity.

   “I feel that it was not just the United States that was attacked, it was the whole free world,” said Szymon Jakubowski, one of hundreds of Varsovians who gathered outside the U.S. Embassy on Wednesday night.

   With homemade signs reading “We don’t understand” and “We are with you in this great tragedy,” the crowd paid homage to the victims. As the night went on, the crowd spilled out into the street as more people arrived bringing flowers and candles. The tapers’ warm glow illuminated a crowd that was chilling in its silence. In front of the gathering, a man kneeled in prayer. Others stared blankly at the empty embassy. Their questioning stares returned by soldiers on the other side of the wall who stood brandishing automatic rifles, black face masks and fatigues.

   Down the street at the bar inside the Sheraton Warsaw Hotel & Towers, customers sat mesmerized by news of the attacks unfolding on CNN.

   Peter Andersen was there. Since first hearing of the attacks, the television has been his main source of news. Phone lines to his friends and co-workers in New York were down, and he didn’t know who among them may be gone. Andersen, who is in Warsaw this month for business, lives in New Jersey and works in Manhattan. His daily commute usually has him arriving at the World Trade Center (WTC) metro station around 8:45 a.m. – the time the first hijacked plane crashed into one of the towers. He considers himself lucky, but also helpless. From his vantage point in Warsaw all he can do is watch. “My main concern is a friend of mine who lives a few hundred meters from the towers,” he said. “I don’t know if she’s living or dead, and I haven’t been able to get hold of her on the phone.”

   Across the bar, Scott Doughman of Chicago sits with his new wife, Olena. The two of them were supposed to have an interview at the U.S. embassy last week. Olena is applying for a U.S. visa, and the couple had planned to return to the States together on Saturday. Now they don’t know when they’ll be able to leave Warsaw and hope the attacks don’t affect Olena’s visa approval. Nonetheless, the couple consider themselves fortunate. “We’re together,” Scott said. “A lot of people are missing their husbands and wives right now.”

   Varsovians gathered again on Thursday afternoon, this time in an effort to send their message to the families of the victims. At the Królikarnia Palace, people waited as long as a quarter of an hour to sign a condolence book organized by the U.S. Embassy.

   Susana Wancel’s aunt, uncle and cousin live in Manhattan, and since the attack she has been unable to contact her extended family. In the condolence book, however, she could at least express her concerns. Her message: “We love you. Your family in Warsaw loves you.”

   Andrzej Tadeusiak was also there to express his remorse. “America is a symbol of democracy and we need to support it,” he said. “I was born during war, and I know how important democracy is. We can’t have it threatened.”