Twitter Isn't On Board With Rudy Giuliani's 9/11 Video Tribute
Each year, Americans across the nation take a few moments to honor the thousands of people who died in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. While some attend memorials, others take to social media to share their thoughts and feelings. Well, one politician's tribute post has raised some serious controversy, and these tweets about Rudy Giuliani's 9/11 video are not pleased. In fact, mostly everyone is confused.
In honor of the 9/11 attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, many people across the nation take to social media to share how this tragedy impacted them. Early on Sept. 11, 2019, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani took to Twitter to share his own tribute, and it was met with... a strong response to say the least. In the post, Giuliani shared a video that shows a young man joining the military and police force, and later defending himself against a group of protestors holding up signs that equate police officers to fascists and assumedly threatening to burn the American flag. Plus, an a capella version of "America The Beautiful" plays in the background during the whole video. The clip ends with a sentence that reads: "This We'll Defend." Safe to say, this tribute video is definitely different than others.
Once Giuliani posted the tweet, Twitter was immediately confused and shared their interpretations of the video. Some claimed it represented patriotism propaganda and police brutality, while others said it reminded them of The Purge horror films. Some social media users couldn't grasp the message at all. Elite Daily reached out to representatives of Giuliani for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Giuliani was New York City's mayor during the 9/11 attacks, serving in office from 1994 to 2001. Following the tragedy, Giuliani addressed reporters and residents during a press conference, where he promised to "rebuild" the city. He said,
Tomorrow New York is going to be here. And we're going to rebuild, and we're going to be stronger than we were before. ... I want the people of New York to be an example to the rest of the country, and the rest of the world, that terrorism can't stop us.
Giuliani's recovery efforts during the 9/11 attacks received applause from many politicians — including now-President Donald Trump. Giuliani has frequently spoken in support of Trump, and served as a campaign surrogate and lawyer for him. On Sept. 11, 2018, the president took to Twitter to praise Giuliani for his work as mayor during the attacks. Trump wrote,
Rudy Giuliani did a GREAT job as Mayor of NYC during the period of September 11th. His leadership, bravery and skill must never be forgotten. Rudy is a TRUE WARRIOR!
Even though Trump may be a fan of the former New York City mayor, not everyone has similar feelings. Following 9/11, Giuliani was criticized for reopening the area around Ground Zero only six days after the attack, despite concerns about dangerous airborne chemicals released by the collapse of the towers. Giuliani defended his decision at the time by stating the air quality was "safe and acceptable." Representatives of Giuliani did not immediately return Elite Daily's request for any updated comment. As of 2018, nearly 10,000 people had been certified with a 9/11-related cancer, per The Guardian. As of Sept. 11, 2019, The Uniformed Firefighters Association of New York list 204 FDNY deaths related to 9/11 illnesses.
In the wake of a tragedy, people have different methods of showing sympathy. However, Giuliani's video definitely caused a stir among social media. Nevertheless, take some time to honor the victims and survivors.
