European Day of Mourning
A European Day of Mourning is a day marked by mourning and memorial activities in member states of the European Union. They are declared by the union and are separate from national days of mourning, which are designated at the national level. As of January 2020, there have been 3 European Days of Mourning.Background
The European Commission introduced the concept on 12 September 2001, a day after the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11. The Commission, in agreement with the European Council and the European Parliament, agreed on a joint statement to condemn the attacks and to designate 14 September 2001 as a day of mourning in member states and EU institutions. European citizens were asked to join in three minutes of silence to express their sincere and deepest sympathy for the victims and their families.
A second European Day of Mourning was held more than 9 years later, on 12 April 2010, for victims of the Smolensk air disaster. A three European Day of Mourning was held more than 5 years later, on 13 November 2015, for victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris. All European citizens were further asked to join in one minute of silence on 16 November. Citizens and politicians gathered in a number of countries to mark the moment of silence, including in France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, England, Scotland, and Turkey. In the Netherlands, trains and buses stopped to mark the minute's silence, take-offs at Schiphol Airport were briefly suspended, and programming on radio and television was paused for one minute. The moment of silence was disrupted with shouts of "Allahu akbar" at a number of schools.List
