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​A Year On From The Brussels Attacks - What Has Changed?

​A Year On From The Brussels Attacks - What Has Changed?

"This is your city and you have to live your life."

Anonymous

Anonymous

Terrorism is designed to hit the of heart of the everyday, to make us reassess our routines and to force us to be afraid of what was once normal. It's no coincidence that most attacks take place against metro systems, airports and buses - the necessities of modern cities that are most used and most defenceless. Terrorism is meant to breed terror, and for the people of Brussels, the events of March 22nd 2016 certainly did that.

The attacks were the worst in Belgian history, with 32 victims losing their lives and 340 people suffering injuries. They followed the attacks in Paris that had killed 130 the previous November, which had come on the back of attacks in January that had killed 12 in the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine. The climate of fear that had descended on Europe, particularly French-speaking Europe, was palpable, but it did not make it any easier when it came.

"It was really tough, like a punch in the gut,"Liga Semane, a Brussels resident, told LADbible. "You read and watch about the horrible attacks that happen in other places and then it comes to your own city. To the metro that you and your friends take daily, to the airport that you have flown out of just a week ago. It is close and that is the scary thing." The feeling that something terrible might happen had already been there, and when it happened, it hit hard.

Credit: Ruptly; Belgium in mourning

The casualties were terrible and confusion reigned. The airport, where 16 people had been killed, was put into lockdown. The metro, where 16 more had died at Maalbeek station, was closed. The Islamic State claimed responsibility. Monuments were lit in the colours of the Belgian flag the world over. As the days passed, life slowly began to return to normal in the Belgian capital. Liga told us: "I was shaken for a while but then you realise, this is your city and you have to live your life."

A year on, we can look at the attacks in a different light. As with the Paris attacks, a huge manhunt began to find the perpetrators, at least those who didn't die themselves. The authorities didn't have to look far: all five suspects were residents of Brussels, four Belgian citizens and a Swede. The four Belgians were of Moroccan descent, and the spotlight fell in particular on Mohamed Abrini, who was an associate of Salah Abdeslam, one of the suspects in the Paris attacks. He has subsequently been charged for his involvement in both.

I was shaken for a while but then you realise, this is your city and you have to live your life.


What is notable was that there was no direct involvement from those who had arrived in Europe during the great influx of refugees in 2015. Despite dog whistles from the right - Nigel Farage made links straight away and described Brussels as the "Jihadi Capital of Europe" - it was clear that the problems lie more with social cohesion and isolation than they did with mass migration. As with the Paris attacks, the problem was homegrown.

Belgium's divisions were thrown into the spotlight. There were a reported 470 Belgians fighting in Syria at the time. This was the highest proportion of any Western European nation. The suburb of Molenbeek, where the five attackers had lived, was held up as an example of integration gone wrong and Belgium was cast as having an out-of-control jihadi problem. Twelve months down the line, due to heavy effort from the Belgian government, plus the decline in power of ISIS, the flow of fighters to Syria has slowed to a trickle.

Brussels
Brussels

Credit: PA; Security forces secure a street in Brussels

Issues of unemployment, social exclusion and crime were also pointed to as drivers for the young Belgians who became Islamist terrorists. In response to the perception of his district, Molenbeek resident Mohamed El Bachiri - who lost his wife in the Maalbeek metro station - launched the 'Jihad of Love' campaign, which went viral and was viewed by millions of people. Molenbeek is still poor and marginalised, but millions of euros have been invested in integration and development programmes.

The police also came in for heavy criticism. Belgium's federal, de-centralised structure meant that six police forces are active in Brussels, and yet none of them had caught wind of the attackers. There are still a steady stream of arrests associated with the attacks and one of the key suspects, the Belgian, Oussama Atar, remains at large.

As a memorial is unveiled in the Belgian capital this morning, millions will reflect on the attacks and the effect that they have had on Belgium. For Liga Semane, the atmosphere has changed over the last year.

"The weeks after the atmosphere was heavy, a mix of disbelief and still processing it all," she said. "The only visible thing was the presence of soldiers - in the metro, in squares, in public spaces and that remains today. So you are going about your life like before yet the soldiers catch your eye and you are reminded of why they are there. I don't know if i'll ever get used to seeing them."

Words: Mike Meehall Wood

Featured Image Credit: PA Images