The terrorists have won
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"...the terrorists have won", or "...then the terrorists win" is a rhetorical phrase used in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States and, to a lesser degree, the 7 July 2005 London bombings in the United Kingdom. It is used to warn against changing an otherwise normal behavior because of fear of terrorism.[citation needed] The phrase has also been used to satirize the sense of panic that sometimes accompanies discussions of terrorism.[citation needed]
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[edit] Origin
The phrase is commonly attributed to an open letter to Reuters from Frank Pierson, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, dated October 15, 2001, justifying his decision to not postpone the 74th Academy Awards:
"If we give in to fear, if we aren't able to do these simple and ordinary things, the terrorists have won the war."[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Oscar Night Feels Iraq War Threat from BBC.co.uk (October 15, 2003)
- "Terrorists have won" declarations make us all losers in the end from the Houston Chronicle (November 30, 2001)
- Hastert's al Qaeda comment draws fire: Idea that terrorists want Kerry to win called "silly," "disgraceful" from CNN (September 20, 2004)
