Poll shows many Germans see U.S. behind Sept 11

Reuters ^ | 23 Jul 2003 15:18:43 GMT

[yonif]

BERLIN, July 23 (Reuters) - Almost one in three Germans below the age of 30 believes the U.S. government may have sponsored the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, according to a poll published on Wednesday.

And about 20 percent of Germans in all age groups hold this view, a survey of 1,000 people conducted for the weekly Die Zeit said.

It also said 68 percent of all Germans felt the media had not reported the full truth behind the attacks, in which some 3,000 people were killed when hijacked planes were crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

After the September 11 attacks, there was an outpouring of sympathy from Germans for the United States. Despite misgivings, Germany joined a military campaign against the al Qaeda network that Washington blamed for the attacks.

But as the United States geared up for war against Iraq, relations soured bady as Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder expressed vocal opposition to the plans.

Although the United States took strong offence at Berlin's attitude, Schroeder's anti-war stance was popular in Germany and helped him to snatch victory in last September's elections.

Asked whether they believed that the U.S. government could have ordered the September 11 attacks itself, 31 percent of those surveyed under the age of 30 in the poll answered "yes", while 19 percent overall gave the same answer.

Die Zeit said widespread disbelief about the reasons given by the United States for going to war in Iraq and suspicion about media coverage of the conflict had fostered a climate in which conspiracy theories flourished.

"The news is controlled," 17-year old Kenny Donaubaur was quoted as saying. "You could see that in the Iraq war. It doesn't seem to me thet you get the full truth."

[bedolido]

Put them in the same group that say the Holocast never happened. Idiot Germans. You sure this isn't a state run (nazi) poll?

[Bikers4Bush]

I see some folks have been drinking their idiot juice.

[Jonathon Spectre]

They believed Hitler, too, so Germans don't have a real good track record in sorting fact from fantasy.

[diamond6]

Well, if a lie is repeated often enough, people will believe anything. Ignorant people.

[Im Your Huckleberry]

Wow.

The rest of the planet is just going off the deep end.

So this is how much influence the ultra-radical, leftist media has in other countries, eh? Must be, if it can sway that many ignoramuses under 30 to believe something that insane. Either that, or the socialists in the University systems have far more influence than we ever imagined...

[veronica]

The people who see the US, or "the Jews" or Israel, (or whatever conspiracy theory of their choosing,) behind 9-11, are insane.

[dirtboy]

Almost one in three Germans below the age of 30 believes the U.S. government may have sponsored the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, according to a poll published on Wednesday.

It would be interesting to see the ethnic and religious composition of this group.

[mhking]

No problem. One in three Americans think all Germans are stupid.

[Huck]

I wonder how many polled are East Germans.

[Mr. Silverback]

Thanks for posting this, yonif.

Don't trust anyone (German) under 30.

[Cyber Liberty]

This makes sense for a country that, itself, set fire to buildings in order to have an excuse to go Jew-hunting. When people do this, it's called "projecting".

[risk]

I wonder if we are paying a higher price in hostile conspiracy theories because the American government and media appear to have tried to downplay the events of 9/11 to avoid a domestic crisis and quell hatred.

[RightWhale]

Considering their historic expertise and experience with such contrivances, the Reichstag Fire, the border telegraph office incursion with Poland, it seems natural they would think of this.

[SpinnerWebb]

I don't blame them...... I put them behind WWI and WWII. =)

[tracer]

Why don't the Ubermenschen fess up and simply come out and blame Da Jooz???

[spectacularbid2003]

Mr. Putin - PUT BACK THAT WALL!

[yonif]

Why am I not surprised....

[Steve_Seattle]

And that 30% probably made up a good chunk of the "anti-war" demonstrators, which says a lot about their basic [lack of] intelligence.

[RightWhale]

At the same time it probably goes against the 1948 UN Statement of Human Rights to lump all Saxon shopkeepers in one group just because some of them are quick to believe conspiracy theories.

[weegee]

With a market that ready for tinfoil, it's no wonder that Disney Corp is funding Michael Moore's 9-11 diatribe.

[syriacus]

Almost one in three Germans below the age of 30 believes the U.S. government may have sponsored the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, according to a poll published on Wednesday.

Which branch of the US Government?

How many US Government people took part in the plan?

Is lingering guilt behind an attempt to try to smear us?

Federal Statistical Office in Germany -- foreign born

Home page for Federal Statistical Office in Germany

[freeangel]

and the Muslim population of Germany is what percentage?

[Catspaw]

The Blame America First crowd here in the US holds opinions indistinguishable from the Germans--and probably the rest of Old Europe.

[Mr. Silverback]

It's no coincidence that one of France's best-selling books was about how we "faked" 9/11. The German and French people have been lied to about the Iraq evidence (at least!) by their press outlets since the beginning. Take this example from Brit Hume's show on 30 January:

French Resistance
If you're wondering why French politicians seem so eager to resist the United States on Iraq these days, the answer may be that it's what the French public wants. AFP, the French Wire Service, says a magazine poll due out tomorrow will show that 79 percent of the French public believes that France should use its veto in the U.N. Security Council to block a U.S. resolution authorizing force against Iraq. If you're wondering why the French public feels that way, consider this: When Hans Blix reported to the United Nations on Monday that Iraq had not "come to a genuine acceptance, not even today, of the disarmament which was demanded of it," that quote became the main news cited by the Associated Press and Reuters and most other news agencies. But France's AFP never mentioned it, publishing instead an account under the headline saying Iraq had "largely cooperated" with the United Nations.

And here's the followup story from 4 February, also Brit Hume:

Disarmament Dispute
AFP, the French wire service, takes issue with our item last Wednesday saying its coverage of Hans Blix's report to the U.N. ignored his statement that Iraq had not accepted the U.N.'s demands to disarm.

An AFP official e-mailed us a number of passages from AFP dispatches that did indeed contain the quote.

We are pleased to note those items, but the AFP story we cited last week led with Blix saying Iraq had largely cooperated with arms experts.

The story then went on for 964 words, but never mentioned Blix's statement that Iraq had not "come to genuine acceptance" of the U.N.'s disarmament demands.

True, in the Internet age these people have a duty to not just take what they're spoonfed, but this shows once again the Founder's wisdom in mandating separation of press and State.

Also, I wonder if Germany's schools sytem might not be a factor here. According to my Econ prof, they test kids and put them on career tracks at about the 4th grade level. Those who end up in blue-collar or low-level white collar tracks get only token "book learning" type education after that, and the genius types are often receiving such specialized scientific knowledge that civics and other important stuff is crowded out. It must be hard to evaluate evidence when all critical thinking skills are at a fourth grade level, with proper educational growth completely subordinated to "put brick here" or "Ja, the knee bone's connected to the thigh bone!" Anybody know enough to confirm or deny this assessment? From what he said, he was passing on the description given him by a couple of German exchange students he's hosted; I'm not sure if he's ever been there.

[Mr. Silverback]

This makes sense for a country that, itself, set fire to buildings in order to have an excuse to go Jew-hunting. When people do this, it's called "projecting".

Ooh, very good point!

[smadurski]

seems some germans have access to DU.

[wildbill]

I suspect that this is symtomatic of the state of the German media. These ideas have to come from somewhere and be spread by so-called 'authoritative sources."

[Alouette]

[VOA]

Mr. Putin - PUT BACK THAT WALL!

When I see news like this about the Germans...and think I have distant relatives
there via my immigrant ancestors who bugged out for Pennsylvania in
the mid 1700s and again in 1848...
the term "blood is thicker than water" scares me.

[Shermy]

I wonder if we are paying a higher price in hostile conspiracy theories because the American government and media appear to have tried to downplay the events of 9/11 to avoid a domestic crisis and quell hatred.

Or "realization" that we are in a shadow war with the Wahhabis, a mix of religion and oil marketing strategies.

[VOA]

RE: "Jewish conspiracies"

When the Egyptian (and Islamic) fellow killed two people at Los Angeles International Airport
last July 4, one of the killer's friends recounted some of the killer's fears about Jew/Israelis.
The killer often harped about how Israelis secretly dispatched female prostitutes
infected with AIDS/HIV to Egypt in order to kill off the flower of Egyptian males.

Incredible...that anyone would come up with such a cock-and-bull story.
Scary, because of how many might actually believe it.

[BMCDA]

You may have a point there. I found this link about a pretty weird conspiracy "documentary" that has been aired about a month ago.

[Alouette]

The killer often harped about how Israelis secretly dispatched female prostitutes infected with AIDS/HIV to Egypt in order to kill off the flower of Egyptian males.

No, he got it wrong. The IDF sends female soldiers to do a strip tease while dancing on top of a tank. Then, when the innocent Palestinian youths approach the enticing seductress, she pulls out the Uzi hidden in her panties and shoots them all dead.

This was seriously reported in the Arab press a couple of years ago. There was a long thread about it here on FR. Maybe someone can post the link.

[CONSERVE]

Man the Turks selling hashish must be making a fortune.

[Alouette]

IDF is Using Elite Female Stripper Death Squads

[Between the Lines]

Also in a recent poll 64% of Germans believe that France started WWII just so that the bastards of France could surrender to their long lost relitives.

[taxed2death]

I think it might have more to do with the fact that the US government has squandered it's credibility a few thousand times over the last 40 years.

[.cnI redruM]

I'm sure an even higher percentage of the world's population believe the Germans were behind 2 World Wars and lot's of genocidal mania.

[tracer]

I was applying the term "Ubermenschen" to the anti-American xenophobes referred to in the article. If the shoe fits, they should wear it....

[Frances_Marion]

Young Germans have taken their brainwashing by their leftist government well....they pretty much believe whatever their socialist gov and press tell them.

[cwb]

"The news is controlled," 17-year old Kenny Donaubaur was quoted as saying. "You could see that in the Iraq war. It doesn't seem to me thet you get the full truth."

This is the only statement I could find to agree with. Unfortunatley, poor Kenny is looking at it from the wrong side. It's amazing that a country that made propaganda an art form, is pointing fingers at others.

[attiladhun2]

Germany is about 10% Turkish Muslim.

[AnalogReigns]

According to the official stats, something about 30 million are under 30 in Germany (total population 84 million)--and of that about 4.5 million are foreign born. So about 15 percent of the age bracket are foriegn...and we can estimate at least 95% of those are Middle Eastern or Turkish Moslems.

We know that wild compiracy theories, usually virulently anti-Semitic, are regularly printed and debated about in the Moslem world...so a probable guess is that 90% at least of those under 30 usually under-educated Islamic immigrants in Germany believe the conspiracy theories about 9/11.

This would skew the results a bit eh? This would mean that of native Germans under 30, really closer to 15% (not 31%) believe the conspiracy theories.... Convincing lunacy can always garner something over 10% (Perot got what,a vote of 19%?) so this doesn't have me too worried. I'd be willing to bet a number of those native Germans are from the East too--still very suspicious and naive of the West generally and the US in particular.

Germans better worry though about the effect of gullible undereducated immigrants on their population however.

[McGavin999]

What a sick bunch of people. We should have let them all starve. Look at the sick, twisted people they've produced.

[attiladhun2]

Commies, NeoNazies, and Islamofacist terrorists dredge the human cesspools composed of dumbsh*ts who believe in cabals and conspiracy theories.

[americanbychoice1]

Well, the Europeans hate us because they are envious of the life we lead. They won't stop until we become a socialist country and share our wealth with them. I read the German papers every day just to get my adrenalin going. The Anti- americanism is outrageous, nothing we, as americans are doing is right. Last week one of the headlines in "Der stern.de" Highlighted the 10 Lies of the american administration and Blair. They try to destroy everyone from Bush to Powell, to anyone connected with this administration. They highlight Fischer's visit to the US as very successful and warned that the US better listen to them or else..... Even Lance Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton are not immune. Armstrong is scared of Ullrich. The injury sustained by Hamilton is just a cheap American propaganda act. etc., etc.
I am so sick of the Europeans, especially the Germans, French and Belgians.
I do believe, we should give a tax incentive to our american firms in Europe to come home. It sure would increase Tax revenue and employment and Give the Euro's what they deserve, go to the dustbin of history.
Possibly the Euros should see their proctologists to demand a lobotomy, maybe that would cure some of their ills?
With the new Constitution they are trying to push through, they will have a revolution within 15 years. The people will revolt again against the ruling aristocracy. At least one of the few bright spots.
The Master race will never stop until they rule the world. Yeah right.

[spectacularbid2003]

Germany's demographics below:

http://www.kmike.com/country/gmdemog.htm

Germany
Population: 83,029,536 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.57% (male 6,635,328; female 6,289,994) 15-64 years: 67.82% (male 28,619,237; female 27,691,698) 65 years and over: 16.61% (male 5,336,664; female 8,456,615) (2001 est.)

Ethnic groups: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, Spanish)

Religions: Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 1.7%, unaffiliated or other 26.3%

[austinTparty]

To wit, from your link:

Wer saß am Steuerknüppel der Maschinen, die ins World Trade Center stürzten? Krachte wirklich eine Passagiermaschine ins Pentagon oder wurde das Verteidigungsministerium durch etwas ganz anderes beschädigt? Wurden die Todesmaschinen wirklich von arabischen Kamikazepiloten gesteuert?

(translation) Who sat at the steering wheel of the machines that dove into the World Trade Center? Did a passenger airplane really crash into the Pentagon, or was the Defense Ministry damaged by something completely different? Were the machines of death really piloted by Arab kamikaze pilots?

Sick. Sick. Sick. Reminds me of the WSJ column about the French book along the same lines, with the response "It happened. I saw it. I was there."

[Melpomene]

I guess we can't excpet this sort of support from them anymore:

At sea aboard USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), Sept. 14, 2001 - The officers and crew of the German destroyer GFS Lutjens (D-185), say goodbye and render honors to USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) by lining the rails in their Dress Blues as they came alongside the ship at sea. The German Sailors, who had become good friends with many of the crew on board Churchill, were flying an American flag at half mast and had hung a homemade banner that read, "We Stand By You." The ships had been conducting joint exercises off the coast of the United Kingdom prior to the terrorist attack on the United States on Sepbember 11th. Official U.S. Navy photo by LT Mike Elliot.