THIRTEEN years have passed but most people still remember where they were and what they were doing when news broke of the 9/11 terror attacks.
NZ for 9/11 Truth rejects the official explanation for the disaster which saw four American airliners hijacked and flown into landmarks in Washington DC and New York.
The tragedy resulted in 2996 deaths.
The ‘9/11 See the Evidence’ exhibition was staged in Wellington at the weekend and attracted hundreds of people.
Phillip Rose from NZ 9/11 Truth says events of 9/11 aren’t satisfactorily explained.
Using science and a detailed analysis of official reports, the exhibition suggests that the major damage caused could not be solely the result of terrorists crashing planes into the buildings.
Phillip Rose, 62, has been actively involved in NZ for 9/11 Truth for the last six years.
On that day in 2001, he was at his Te Aro home and switched on his radio to hear breaking news of the Twin Towers falling.
The destruction of the World Trade Centre towers and the partial collapse of the Pentagon sparked strong emotion globally and a swift declaration of a war on terror.
In past years, NZ for 9/11 Truth has funded the distribution of many DVDs, created exhibitions and produced an informative picture book.
The picture book put together by graphic designer Peter Woods was the inspiration for the See the Evidence exhibition.
All information used was sourced from Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth.
Its founder, Richard Gage, an American architect, was sponsored by NZ for 9/11 Truth to give a lecture at Te Papa in 2009.
Phillip Rose shrugs off the conspiracy theorist label.
He says some theories like nuclear destruction and no plane accounts are there to discredit any further discussion of 9/11.
Mr Rose thinks conclusions drawn from the official account of evidence are completely ludicrous.
“There is no way to give the why without the full background,” he says.
The global truth movement wants an independent investigation into the causes of the tragedy.
“There is this myth that 9/11 is a sacred story which you can’t talk about or try to learn more from ,” says Mr Rose.
He says the events of 9/11 stay relevant for new generations.
THOUGHT PROVOKING: Viewers scrutinise the exhibition on display at the Boat Cafe.
“It’s whether or not you are curious about how things work.”
Roger Morris, artist and 9/11 truth activist, says more and more people are becoming receptive to finding out what they have to say, when once it was common to be disdained as ‘9/11 Truth-er’.
“We haven’t had a single negative response from the exhibition. Sometimes people walk in and walk straight out, but this year they are all getting really engaged.”
He is currently working on a stone sculpture in memory of the Twin Towers.
Mr Rose says claims that it is disrespectful to the families of 9/11 victims to contradict official reports are not fair.
“Some of the early 9/11 activism was driven by victims’ families who wanted answers. They were of two camps. Those who chose not to talk about it and others who demanded action.”
If there is one thing Mr Rose hopes people will take from the exhibition it is to be more inquiring of events around them.
“I want people to be more aware of the same kind of incidents, look for facts and not instinctively blame it on some ‘bad guy du jour’.”
“Our intention is not to tell people what to think,” says Mr Rose.
“We want people to question what they see in a constructive way.”
The 9/11: See the Evidence exhibition will be in Rotorua this weekend.
YOUNG ONES: Also featured was an illustrated children’s book, The Three Tall Buildings by Dee McLachlan.
