By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
LONDON (Worthy News) – Britain’s The Guardian newspaper has removed Osama bin Laden’s 21-year-old ‘Letter to America’ from their website late Wednesday, following its viral spread on social media outlet TikTok.
A spokesperson defended the removal of the document written by the late chief of the al-Qaida terror group. “The transcript published on our website 20 years ago has been widely shared today on social media without its original context,” she said.
Readers now find a message explaining the removal of the translated document.
The letter, initially reported in the Observer newspaper on November 24, 2002, and published on The Guardian’s website the same day, resurfaced when TikTok users, led by influencer Lynnette Adkins, urged their followers to read it.
Adkins, who has almost 12 million followers, said: “I need everyone to stop doing what they’re doing right now and go read ‘Letter to America,’ I feel like I’m going through an existential crisis right now.”
The letter, still accessible elsewhere online, includes bin Laden’s assertion that the September 11, 2001 attacks were a response to America’s support of Israel. He wrote: “They threw hundreds of thousands of soldiers against us and have formed an alliance with the Israelis to oppress us and occupy our land; that was the reason for our response on the eleventh.”
The letter’s resurgence on TikTok sparked discussions among social media users and raised concerns that it would inspire more anti-Israel protests.
It comes amid mounting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce a ceasefire in the war against Hamas, which he views as a terrorist organization.
The prime minister so far declined a ceasefire, suggesting it would enable Hamas to rearm. He also says the war is for the very existence of the State of Israel and Jews after Hamas fighters enthusiastically killed more than 1,200 people, such as babies and toddlers.
The Hamas-run health ministry claims more than 11,000 people, including over 4,500 children, were killed after Israel launched its military operations in Gaza after the October 7 massacres. It has so far not been said how navy fighters are among the dead.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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