UPDATED 5:36 AM central
There have been a series of bombings in Brussels, at the Brussels airport and one or more Metro stations. As I write this, different media outlets are reporting different numbers of those killed in the attacks, with figures ranging from 13 to 23.
Horrific. My heart goes out to all WHTM readers in Belgium; I hope you and yours are all safe.
Please post links to any useful information you find in the comments below.
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Hugs to everyone.
It’s just grim. I had to switch off the TV because they kept showing footage of people getting off a train, with a child squealing like a wounded animal (although thankfully the fact he/she could do that must mean the injuries hopefully weren’t life threatening). My wife and I are going to Paris next week (Jesus, I sound selfish, don’t I)….who knows what the security levels are going to be like across Europe. As for this being a ‘revenge attack’ – who knows, maybe it was planned anyway? What does disturb me is the possibility of these kind of attacks becoming a regular occurrence, with who knows what implications for European politics and society.
Belgium is a lovely place, indeed.
Now that I think of it, it is exactly 15 years since I visited the country; Otter and I flew there to spend time with a friend for a week, right before Easter, in 2001.
At that time, bovine footh-and-mouth disease was raging, and exporting cheeses was forbidden, which made us sad, because we had so many excellent cheeses there.
The biggest security hassle we had was “let’s sterilize your shoes”.
We visited Brussels, Antwerpen, Ypres, Ghent; we did a dip to the French side at Lille, and popped over to see Netherlands as well. We visited the famous WWI museum in Ypres, and soaked in the horror that was war and devastation it left behind. Even today, those scars persist on Belgian landscape (if you know anything about trees, for example).
My friend and his family pretty openly discussed about Belgium’s rather sordid past with colonialism, so it wasn’t a one-sided cheese-and-beer-and-omg-chocolate! visit.
I probably should scan my photos and share them with the world… because maybe the world could have a reminder that giving in to grimness, anger and hate should not happen.
@ jimbtho
The current theory floating around intelligence circles is it’s a bit of both. In that it was an existing plan(s) that was brought forward in light of last weeks raids. Both as a response and also because the intelligence likely to be garnered from the raids could have been used to arrest the relevant people before they had a chance to act.
@Skiriki
When you have time to scan your photos of Belgium, I’d love to see them.
Kitty hugs right back at ya. And anyone else who’d like to form a line.
Alan – yeah, that makes sense.
My heart goes out to you all, especially those in Belgium.
I have some friends over there and some (very) extended family. Their updates have been harrowing.
@Jimbtho – Don’t beat yourself up about your thoughts going to a selfish place. Well, I mean, do if you want, but throw me in the same corner.
We’re prepping for a move to the southern part of Belgium and I’m ashamed to say that my second thoughts were about how this might impact things.
Hugs to everyone who needs them.
Solidarity with the emergency workers and medics who are at the scene and in the hospitals working to help those hurt.
@ Torn Feather – glad you are safe. All the best to you and yours.
The racists here are yelling to close the borders (we are not in Schengen and we’re surrounded by sea). But almost all the terrorism perpetrators in the last few years have been home grown, British nationals and British born. So once you’ve closed the borders, what next? Tagging? Deportations? What could go wrong with that?
[There’s a *slight* possibility that applying entry restrictions *could* conceivably have hindered some of the IRA attacks on the mainland in the 70s. But I believe we’ve had freedom of movement with the Republic of Ireland since the 30s and it’s nothing to do with the EU. And as the causus belli was the status of Northern Ireland, it would have been rather weird to impose border controls between two bits of what was supposedly the same country… Anyway it didn’t happen so we can’t put it to the test.]
Monstrous.
@ bluecat
That’s the ‘Common Travel Area’. We’ve had something like it in one form or other since Irish independence (suspended in WW2).
@ Alan – I thought as much! 🙂
And as I typed I thought “I bet Alan knows if this is true…”
I find it so sad that I hear so many people here in Ireland calling for a ban on migrants, a ban on people who are (or just “look”) Muslim. We got through 800 years of oppression, where viewed as the biggest migrant group and had to put up with the whole that group might be terrorist things during the troubles and yet not one shred of sense or humanity to be found. Irish history is so sad but it seems we lost all compassion with our movement out of dark days. I’m actually despairing in people between these attacks and the rascist shits who are already using these deaths as martyrs to their own fucked up causes.
Sorry I just am very upset by this and disgusted by the reaction here
@ bluecat
Ha, funnily enough I only found out about that after being stared at like an idiot whilst waving my passport at a checkpoint on the border.
My (Irish) mother was so embarrassed when I told her.
ETA: my post is pretty much a summary of the lecture I got. With less eye rolling.
God, this is an awful situation. I hope that the Belgian people can bear this tragedy with the good-naturedness and grace I’ve come to expect from them.
In personal news, I’ve thankfully just heard back from my last Belgian friend confirming that they’re okay. A lot of my acquaintances have been returning from the GDC in San Francisco for the past couple of days, several of them through Brussels. Luckily, most of them had already arrived over the weekend, but a few had experienced delays, and I was really stressing out about whether they’d made it.
My niece is safe.
One of the perks of her job is that she can buy very posh chocolate at half price, but today I don’t envy her at all.
I feel terribly for the people hurt today. I’m so tired of religion and extremism in any form.
Stay fucking classy, Ted Cruz.
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2016/03/ted-cruz-calls-patroling-muslim-neighborhoods
For all of you in Brussels and all those who have family and friends there, I am sorry this has happened and I wish you the best.
@Terrabeau: I really doubt it. We’re leaning more and more towards the right every election and if the reactions I’ve heard so far are any sign, the next one is going to be big. I’m pretty sure that even our extreme right is going to come back in to play.
I’m deliberately not looking at local political twitter but I’m pretty sure that it’s not pretty.
Oh, and Ted Cruz can go fuck himself.
All the right-wing extremists – the ones in Daesh and the ones in all the European groups like Pegida and the EDL and their friends across Europe – all glad of the chance to drive a wedge even further between European citizens, and worsen the situation of the refugees.
My admiration to the people of Brussels writing peace on the pavements.
(Alan, thank you for raising a smile today)
Best wishes to everyone in Brussels. I hope things will settle down soon and the airport will be repaired.
Wim and Jimbtho, I don’t think you have to worry about seeming selfish. The way I see it, the best way to handle an attack like this is exactly the way you’re handling it: mourning the dead and sending goodwill to everyone affected while continuing to live your life and go forward with the plans you’ve already made. It shows the terrorists that it’s not working, that the attacks won’t destroy the spirit of the affected region.
Deepest condolences and best wishes to all in Belgum right now.
Nequam: Christ, this is why the choice between Trump and Cruz is the choice between nitroglycerine and arsenic.
Might as well march the National Guard into American suburbia to stop the radicalization of Republicans. I’m sure that’ll keep them from producing more Cliven Bundy types. /s
I work a block away from the Mall of America and really close to the airport. If there’s ever a terror attack in the Twin Cities, it’ll probably be near me. I don’t typically worry about it but it is in the back of my mind and I think about it when something like this happens.
So, count me in as one of the people thinking selfishly and feeling guilty about it.
Aaaaand cue racist conservatives going “close the borders, don’t let this happen in America and vote Trump” blah blah blah. Typical.
Everyone in Brussels: deepest condolences from me and please be safe. My heart goes out to everyone. Hugs for everyone who needs one.
Everyone else: don’t let the racists get to you. You know they will try to use this for xenophobic purposes. They already are as we speak.