Speaking in a press conference at Number 10 Downing Street Wednesday lunchtime, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has reiterated his initial comments of solidarity with the United States in the wake of Tuesday’s attack on New York and Washington DC.
Describing the terrorist mayhem not as “an attack on America alone but on the free and democratic world as a whole” the British premier went on to emphasise that “it is important America know that their allies around the world stand shoulder to shoulder with them.”
“America may have been singled out in this attack, but this was meant for all of us,” he added, going on to point out that significent numbers of the dead and injured could prove to be British.
While the prime minister was still addressing the assembled media, an aide informed him that US President George W Bush was on the line. In the 20-minute call Mr Blair was expected to have reiterated once again Britain’s readiness to become militarily involved.
Out in the streets of London, Americans and Britons flocked to the US embassy to express their grief. Many were in tears, others carried bunches of flowers bearing messages of condolence which they laid at the base of a tree just in front of the building.
Speaking to a BBC reporter, one woman told of her sister, who worked in the Trade Center and whom she has still not been able to contact. One British veteran wearing full dress uniform and a chest full of medals approached the flower-surrounded tree, removed his cap and stood for a moment in silence. He was there because of the help the Americans gave the UK during WWII, he explained.
Many US tourists, desperate to return home, are unable to do so because all flights to the States and Canada have been cancelled. And the disruption is spreading. British budget airline EasyJet has stopped its flights to Europe, while the English capital’s City Airport, located within the Greater London area, is closed.
Security has been stepped up at airports and American facilities throughout the UK, including US military bases. And UK police forces have been put on full alert.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
