London Games organizers reject calls for moment of silence honoring Munich Olympic victims

March 7, 2012: This file photo shows the London 2012 Olympic Stadium at sunset at the Olympic Park in London.

Organizers for the London 2012 Olympic Games have rejected calls for a moment of silence for the victims of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre.

A spokesman for the London Games told BBC News that tributes would be paid to the victims at a separate ceremony at London’s Guildhall in a joint initiative after finding that it would be “the most appropriate way to pay tribute to the athletes.”

A black cloud was cast over the Munich Games when 11 Israeli athletes and trainers were killed by the Palestinian “Black September” organization. The group attacked the Olympic village and took them hostage.

Ankie Spitzer, whose husband, Andre, was killed in the attack, spearheaded the unsuccessful campaign.

“We want the world to remember what happened there so that this will never happen again,” Spitzer told BBC News.

Organizers reportedly may have decided on a separate tribute event out of fear of provoking a walkout from Arab countries, BBC reports.

“Our message is not one of hatred or revenge,” Spitzer told BBC News, adding that the Guildhall ceremony isn’t an appropriate tribute.

“They were not accidental tourists. They were part of the Olympic family and they should be remembered within the framework of the Olympics,” she told BBC News.

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