One day after the September 11th terrorist attacks, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder announced Germany’s “full solidarity” with the United States. In Berlin’s Bundestag, the chairmen of the various parties called for a memorial service with the message “No Power to Terror – Solidarity with the United States of America.” About 200,000 people attended the service, which was held in front of the Brandenburg Gate on September 14, 2001. In speech delivered on the occasion, Federal President Johannes Rau spoke about shared transatlantic values and the need to punish the terrorists. But he also invoked the words, “Hatred must not lead us to hatred,” and thus cautioned against holding entire peoples, religions, or cultures responsible. U.S. Ambassador Daniel R. Coates thanked Germany for its solidarity and even claimed that the U.S. couldn’t “wish for a more loyal and reliable friend.”