Olaf Scholz "25 Jahre NINE ELEVEN: Attentat auf die Twin Towers in New York – Weltpolitik in Hamburg" x Harbour Front Literaturfestival Hamburg

The 21st century began on September 11, 2001, with an event that was as symbolic as it was catastrophically real: Islamists succeeded in carrying out an unprecedented attack on supposedly invulnerable America.

The Twin Towers in the very heart of New York collapsed, broadcast live on television around the world; 3,000 people died in the skyscrapers and on the hijacked planes. A wake-up call that sent shockwaves through America and the entire world. This day is one that has been deeply etched into humanity’s collective memory: even today, everyone remembers exactly what they were doing on that day. And this event has long since found its place in literature as well.

Ironically, the attacks originated in Hamburg, the “Gateway to the World.” It was here that computer science student Mohammed Atta and other terrorists had lived as “sleeper agents” and meticulously planned the attack.

Olaf Scholz was Hamburg’s Senator for the Interior at the time. How does he remember that day and its significance for the Hanseatic city?

And: How does the former German chancellor assess the historical and global political significance of this event? Anyone who wants to understand current geopolitics cannot ignore “NINE ELEVEN.”