A cafe in Bournemouth, England, is planning an immersive '9/11 watch party' that invites guests to 'relive' the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. The event, scheduled for Friday, will mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Attendees are asked to surrender their phones at the door to 'experience again the fear, tears, and paranoia of the live news channel analysis and raw footage of the disaster.' The event is being staged by the political arts group Verdurin as part of the Adam Curtis Party Conference and will be held at the Wild Boscombe Cafe.
Owners of the Wild Boscombe Cafe stated that the screening is 'not intended as a celebration or trivialisation' of the attacks. An online listing described the event as the 'most avant-garde event to take place in Bournemouth for many years,' aiming to show how mainstream media and conspiratorial commentators presented the event, ultimately leading attendees to be 'taken in by the seductive power of conspiracy theories.' The listing suggested that those who experienced the event live could refresh their memories, while younger attendees could 'get a feel for what it was like as it happened.'
Verdurin's website describes the group as addressing 'urgent cultural, political, and philosophical questions through visual culture.' Pierre d'Alancaisez, the curator, stated that the live television images of the 9/11 attacks defined the 21st century and that reviewing the raw television imagery offers an opportunity to examine 'our hyperreality's fundamental building block.'
However, the event has faced criticism from local officials. Christchurch councillor Simon McCormack expressed deep concern, warning that the event risks 'turning a tragedy into a spectacle.' He noted that 'Nearly 3,000 people were murdered on 9/11, while countless survivors, emergency workers and bereaved families continue to live with the consequences.' McCormack argued that the attacks were a 'real human tragedy—not entertainment, a 'watch party' or an experience to be recreated for an audience.' He urged the organizers and venue to reconsider their plans out of respect for the victims, survivors, and their families.
On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger planes. Two planes crashed into the World Trade Centre in New York City, another struck the Pentagon near Washington D.C., and a fourth crashed in Pennsylvania, believed to have been targeting the White House or the Capitol Building.