[garinda]

It was the day after I'd moved up from London to Glasgow.

I'd always thought it odd when older people spoke about what they were doing when J.F.K. was shot, or when it was announced that we were now at war with Germany.

After 9/11 I knew what they meant.

I watched the terrible events unfold whilst sat in a pub in Glasgow's Westend.

What tends to be forgotton is that whilst the attacks were happening in the U.S., the news reports here were telling us that Canary Wharf was being targeted, and that all flights were being cancelled, as there could be other U.K. targets. It really did feel as if the whole security of the free world was being attacked that day, and changed forever.

My most abiding memory of that day is returning to the flat I was sharing temporarily, and watching the news in the evening with my friend Elinor. As well as the same footage of the attacks on America, I vividly remember seeing a report of how the day's events were received around the world. There was a clip from Palestine of people shouting for joy, and celebrating in the streets. There was a close up of a young boy's face, as he was held up by his ecstatic father. It made me feel sick, and I certainly lost any repect for the political aims of the P.L.O.