Ceremonies remember victims of Brussels terrorist attacks

Brussels commemorated the victims of the terrorist attacks of 22 March 2016 with a peace march and ceremonies at three memorial sites - the departure hall of Brussels Airport, Maelbeek metro station and Schuman.

The 2016 attacks left 32 people dead and 340 injured. In the months and years that followed, three more people died as a result of their physical or psychological injuries. There were 691 victims in total.

The attacks began when two terrorists detonated two bombs in the departure hall of Brussels airport. A third man failed to detonate his bomb and fled the scene.

At the memorial plaque in the airport departure hall this weekend, people laid flowers or paused for a moment of mourning, and the names of the 16 deceased were read out.

“Nine years is a long time, but at the same time it feels like yesterday,” said Philippe Vansteenkiste, director of the victim association V-Europe, who lost his sister Fabienne in the airport attacks.

“The suffering of any loss is difficult, but a terrorist act is something else entirely: victims are used as a weapon to attack society. All the values we grew up with are shattered.”

Vansteenkiste believes that commemorations such as the ones that took place on Saturday are very important, first and foremost for the victims.

"It’s a clear sign that they will not be forgotten", he said. "It’s also important to be able to learn from what happened. Society is becoming more polarised. New generations must continue to realise what an act of terror means, so that we can move towards a better future.”

On the same day, a bomb was also detonated at Maelbeek metro station. A minute's silence was observed there on Saturday as a moment of remembrance.

“The impact on the staff on the day of the attack was huge,” said Stib spokesperson Guy Sablon.

“At the time, there was fear about what was to come. Only in the days that followed did we realise what had really happened in our metro, on our territory.

"Even today, we still look back on the events with the same feelings. It is a unique event and we hope it will remain that way."

He added that “security was already high at the time, but it has only increased since then”.

Several members of the Brussels government were present at the ceremony in the metro station, including Brussels minister-president Rudi Vervoort (PS), mayor Philippe Close (PS), finance minister Sven Gatz (Open VLD) and mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen).

A third ceremony took place at the memorial for the victims near Schuman, honouring the victims and relatives of the victims of the terrorist attacks at home and abroad.

The minister of security and home affairs Bernard Quintin (MR), defence minister Theo Francken (N-VA) and justice minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), among others, were present, along with victims, relatives and emergency services.

“I still carry this with me today,” firefighter David Vanfraechem, present at the time of the attacks, said.

“The emotions will stay with me. They came the day after the attack and are still here nine years later.”

While the ceremonies were sombre, criticism was raised regarding a lack of state support for victims.

“It’s necessary that politicians recognise that these events could happen again,” one survivor said. “That’s why we need a system that can help and support the victims, something that is still insufficiently the case today. I find that regrettable.”

The ceremony at Schuman included a performance from the Belgian Navy Band, after which representatives of the federal government, the Brussels region and the City of Brussels laid wreaths on the monument.

Photo: Nicolas Materlinck/Belga