The conflict in New York: Police and firemen fight on the WTC rubble

A very bad situation is currently being formed in New York. The firemen fought with the policemen right on the rubble of the World Trade Centre. The reason for the fight was mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s decision to cut the number of the people working on the debris of the WTC, - mainly owing to the reduction of the firemen staff working there. The mayor explained his decision with the fact that the congregation of a lot of people on the site of the tragedy is rather disturbing for the work.

About 1000 firemen were really insulted with that statement. They immediately thought that the New York mayor simply wanted to save some money. They tried to made their way to the ruins. The policemen, who were working there, blocked their way, and it became impossible to solve the problem peacefully. 5 policemen were hurt as a result of the fight. The indignation of the firemen is not about to settle down and it is going to take the shape of a large, mean scandal. The mayor is the major person to blame, who wanted to save the money and did not care about the safety at all, as the firemen believe.

The fire-wardens were also offended by the distrust of the city administration: there was a gold reserve of one of the banks found in the rubble of the buildings, and that fact was also taken in account, when making the decision to cut the number of firemen, working on the place, where the WTC used to be. Several firemen were put behind the bars to chill out, but there are already requirements to release them, for they had spent almost two months working there, so they had a right to disagree with the mayor’s decision.

Rudolph Giuliani lost his patience and made a very harsh statement in connection with the incident: “I will not stand the people to violate the law, either it is the mayor, or a policeman, a fireman or a common citizen. You can not attack the policemen of New York. Otherwise you will get in jail!”

These attempts to find out “who the toughest is” on the rubble of the buildings, where thousands of people died, seem to be dumbfounded. It has recently been a mourning place. Now it is a fighting place. What’s next?

AP photo: Firefighters rally at ground zero at the disaster site of New York's World Trade Center, Friday Nov. 2, 2001