For people around the world, the anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedy is a day of remembrance. But for more than 79,000 Facebook users, today is a day of suspicion.
Eleven years later, tens of thousands of people around the world still believe 9/11 was an inside job, carried out by the U.S. government. Today, those believers are flocking to Facebook page, World for 9/11 Truth, to bemoan the event and continue to clamor for the truth.
“I don’t have any theory and don’t have time to speculate, but I don’t accept the official explanation, it’s full of holes,” Jan Neh Civil wrote.
World for 9/11 Truth is the community page of a nonprofit organization with the same name. The majority of posts pertain to new articles on the site.
During much of the year, the Facebook page’s activity remains on the lighter side. One user shared a recently finished painting depicting the attack. Another added some self-aware humor—a song parodying people who believe 9/11 was a conspiracy theory.
But in late August and September, users kept it serious with videos and articles that contributors believe prove their beliefs about the events of 9/11. The most persevering belief “truthers” hold is that video of the tragedy does not reflect reality.
“By watching hours of different clips of the ‘collapses’ and the ‘plane crashes’ I’m confident the 3 buildings had been blowing up and I don’t think that a plane which is made of alluminium can crash into a building made of stable steel,” Stefan Steinmann wrote.
Why does this theory pervade more than a decade after the event? According to a Psychology Today article about 9/11 theories, they’re unexpectedly comforting:
“Conspiracy theories help us cope with distressing events and make sense out of them. Conspiracies assure us that bad things don’t just happen randomly. Conspiracies tell us that someone out there is accountable, however unwittingly or secretly or incomprehensibly, so it’s possible to stop these people and punish them and in due course let everyone else re-establish control over their own lives.”
People are still trying to make sense out of what happened that warm September day. Don’t be surprised if this Facebook page gains a few new members.
“The truth will come out. We always have enough time,” Steffan Gessert wrote.
Photo via Facebook