Soon after today’s terror attacks in Brussels, Belgium, in which at least 26 people are confirmed dead, a cartoon uniting France and Belgium has already become the symbol of solidarity for the victims.
As with the Paris terrorist attack from last November, people have started sharing a cartoon by Le Monde cartoonist Plantu, who has drawn other cartoons showcasing grief from the Charlie Hebdo attack in January 2015 and the Paris attack. The cartoon shows the French flag comforting the Belgian flag and crying with the dates of their respective attacks underneath: Nov. 13, 2015, and March 22, 2016.
#Bruxelles L'hommage de Plantu https://t.co/sBBY9mGViE pic.twitter.com/WNoXNAwCUT
— Le Monde (@lemondefr) March 22, 2016
The cartoon has become a way for people to share their condolences for the victims of the Brussels terror attacks, and someone has already placed the cartoon at the memorial for the Paris attacks at La République.
Quelqu'un a ajouté le dessin de Plantu pour #Bruxelles au memorial du 13 novembre à Republique pic.twitter.com/QC317IrMLs
— Cécile Dehesdin (@sayseal) March 22, 2016
We condemn #Brusselsattack. Our thoughts go to the victims, the wounded and their family & friends #JeSuisBelge pic.twitter.com/2MeER1ndcC
— ALDE Party (@ALDEParty) March 22, 2016
#JeSuisBruxelles, indeed. pic.twitter.com/vaY9U3CDI8
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) March 22, 2016
It’s already received a remix courtesy of the Russian TV outlet LifeNews, which has replaced the French flag with the Russian flag and Oct. 31 underneath to commemorate the crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt that killed all 224 people on the plane, which Russia has since said was an act of terror.
Скорбим вместе с Бельгией и Францией#Brussels #теракт #Брюссель pic.twitter.com/tDi4qQcYB8
— LIFE (@lifenews_ru) March 22, 2016
A number of hashtags have popped up on Twitter uniting people in solidarity such as #JeSuisBelge (“I am Belgian”), #JeSuisBruxelles (“I am Brussels”), and #prayforbelgium.
My heart broken for Bruselas. Sending with love to all victims, people and family. #JeSuisBelge pic.twitter.com/MGOAhULxmb
— IGGY BEY (@IGGYBEYOFFICIAL) March 22, 2016
Unbelievable! #PrayforBelgium pic.twitter.com/5MQMBlX6qK
— Kevin De Bruyne (@KevinDeBruyne) March 22, 2016
All our thoughts are in Brussels on this sad day… #PrayForBelgium pic.twitter.com/hl88cXXSBE
— Standard de Liège (@Standard_RSCL) March 22, 2016
Stop terrorism… #JeSuisBruxelles pic.twitter.com/iKOY1wMP04
— Rafa Zevallos 🇵🇦 (@rafazevallos) March 22, 2016
Translation: terrorism struck again.. Can you make some room for me? #jesuisbruxelle #JeSuisBelge pic.twitter.com/wYwuhbCXbd
— Jessica. (@jessiW98) March 22, 2016
People have also begun to share photos of the famous Belgian cartoon character Tintin crying to share their grief with others.
Pensées pour nos amis belges #JesuisBruxelles pic.twitter.com/yfVrAL0gIS
— Sylvain Zimmermann (@sylvainzim) March 22, 2016
https://twitter.com/BernardMnich/status/712206469152825344
#bruxelles <3 pic.twitter.com/pQNClwTGmV
— Sébastien Leroy 🗞🇺🇦 (@lecontempteur) March 22, 2016
Facebook has enacted its Safety Check feature in Brussels, allowing those in the city to let their friends and family know that they are safe.
https://twitter.com/margarita/status/712232747809554432
The city of Paris, which has changed its Twitter profile picture to the Belgian flag, has announced that it will light the Eiffel Tower with the flag’s colors.
Ce soir, @LaTourEiffel sera illuminée aux couleurs de la Belgique.
— Paris (@Paris) March 22, 2016
Paris est solidaire de #Bruxelles. #NousSommesUnis
H/T BuzzFeed | Photo via Martin Comeau/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)