On Saturday, in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks, because Belgium had “received precise information about a threat in which several arms would be used on different locations, similar to those in Paris,” Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel raised the terror alert in the bi-lingual Belgian capital to the highest possible level.
“The information was concrete,” the Prime Minister said, “the targets are commercial centers, shopping streets, but also public transport and events that attract crowds…”
But Michel also asked the people of Brussels, while being “careful and vigilant,” not to succumb to panic. “We have to remain serene and keep our heads cool and stay calm,” he said.
Brussels, especially the district of Molenbeek, has seen many police raids and searches in the aftermath of the Paris attack, as the latter is viewed as “a troublesome breeding ground for terrorism in Europe.”
Brussels remains on the high terror alert level and lockdown. On Sunday, Belgian authorities requested that Belgians do not post messages on social media that might expose or interfere with security forces operations.
Steven Vandeput, Belgium’s minister of defense, posted a tweet asking the public “not to report their movements on social media, please support & rt #BrusselsLockdown.”
The people of Brussels not only showed their support, vigilance and their refusal to be cowed by the terrorists, but they also showed their sense of humor by taking to the internet by the thousands and posting photos and images of what “will now be known as an internationally recognized symbol of solidarity: cat photos,” according to the New York Times.
The Times: “The cats appeared with machine guns, french fries and beer to comfort the citizens of Brussels, who need it…”
On Sunday, Belgian authorities thanked the public for obliging the original request, albeit without mentioning the cat photos.
“The Federal Prosecutor’s Office and the police services insist on thanking the press and users of social media for having taken into account the needs of the ongoing operation when covering the operation,” Eric Van der Sijpt, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office in Brussels, told reporters.
But on Monday, “the police in Brussels acknowledged the bit of levity, and responded with a tongue-in-cheek response and a picture of cat food. ‘For cats who helped us last night … Help yourself!’ The post read.” (Below)
Way to go Brussels. Vandaag zijn wij allemaal van Brussels.
As evidence of that, I have borrowed a relative’s cat (below) to show the solidarity of American cats with those of Brussels, and Belgium, and France.
Below, some of the Brussels cats doing their thing, courtesy Twitter.
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There are several videos. Here is one. It can be viewed here.
There is even a very familiar looking cat:
Added: Whether a Flemish kat or a Walloon chat, they all meow the same. Perhaps that should tell us, humans, something.
Lead photo: Belgian Waffle Cat: Courtesy Twitter
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.