A 9/11 commemorative parade during a small town parade in Indiana sparked outrage over its depiction of the smoking twin towers.
The float, which was part of the 40th Popcorn Festival on September 11, featured the twin towers with smoke gushing from them, with a black hole in each that represented where the planes attacked the World Trade buildings. Center during the attacks of 20 years ago. .
The video taken from the parade showed people sounding in disbelief as they watched the float go down the street.
The float was sponsored by the Republicans of Valparaiso.
“We worked very hard to show our love, respect, pain and respect to all the 9/11 victims, the soldiers who died in Afghanistan and our first respondents,” Republicans in Valparaiso said in a post on Facebook.
The group received various opinions on the screen on its Facebook page and chose to limit comments. Most of the remaining comments left on the page defended the float.
The 9/11 terrorist attacks claimed 2,977 lives, including those killed in the Pentagon attack and those on the plane that landed in Pennsylvania.
Porter County President Michael Simpson issued a statement apologizing for any disrespect the float may have shown.
“We did not want any disrespect and regret that our tribute to the lost lives and those who continue to serve was for some perceived bad taste,” the statement said in part.