Passengers at O’Hare Airport in Chicago, Illinois, were criticized online after they continued walking past what was described online as a 9/11 honor procession.
The video taken inside the airport showed uniformed law enforcement officers marching through the airport as part of the procession. At the front, the American flag and ceremonial flags were carried as part of the 9/11 remembrance.
As the procession moved through the airport, passengers were seen walking past with their bags, with some appearing to speed up as they passed. The passengers did not appear to stop or acknowledge the 9/11 honor procession. The video ended with more people continuing to walk past the procession without stopping.
Many people online criticized the passengers for continuing to walk through the airport without appearing to acknowledge the 9/11 honor procession. Some viewers argued that they should have stepped aside for the uniformed officers and flags as a sign of respect.
However, their actions may not necessarily have been intended as deliberate disrespect, as some passengers could have been focused on catching their flights or may not have realized what was happening or whether they were expected to stop. Airports can be hectic, particularly for travelers rushing to their gates, so the footage alone does not establish why the passengers continued walking.
Viewers Divided Over Scene At Illinois Airport
The video sparked reactions online. Viewers were divided over how to interpret the scene at the Illinois airport. X user @LangmanVince, who shared the video, was among those who criticized the passengers. “Look how disrespectful those people were to the 9/11 honor procession, they couldn’t just stand to the side for 60 seconds while they pass by out of respect! Of course this was at O’hare airport in Chicago,” he wrote. Another person said, “Same people would disrupt a funeral procession.” Someone else added, “The left is [expletive] repugnant on every level in every [expletive] way.”
On the other hand, some viewers defended the passengers and suggested that they may have been more concerned about missing their flights. “Your [expletive] fried if you think people who are late to some overpriced flight are gonna stop and wait giving them a chance to miss it. Still, RIP to those 9/11 victims,” one person wrote. Another person said, “its an airport….the flights arent gonna wait for the procession.”
The video also raised questions about how people should respond when encountering a procession honoring the victims of 9/11. While some viewers believed passengers should stop briefly as a sign of respect, others pointed out that airports are often busy and that travelers may not always be able to stop for several minutes without risking delays or missing their flights.
