After multiple explosions at the Brussels airport and metro station on Tuesday morning, #JeSuisBruxelles, #PrayForBelgium, and #Brussels are the top trending Twitter hashtags worldwide.
The attack comes just four months after the terror attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people. Current counts say at least 26 people were killed in the Brussels bombings and 136 people were injured. The city is currently on lock down and all public transportation is closed.
And just like after the Paris attacks, Twitter is now awash in black, yellow, and red hearts and flags. Users around the world are flooding social media with messages hoping for peace and support.
—Jon Snow (@LordSnow) March 22, 2016
—Tammy Bursoni (@TBursoni) March 22, 2016
—Valentina (@valedellaminola) March 22, 2016
—PAOK FC / Π.Α.Ο.Κ. (@PAOK_FC) March 22, 2016
The cartoon by Le Monde cartoonist Jean Plantureux, better known as Plantu, is also becoming a worldwide symbol with France’s flag hugging Belgium’s flag alongside the dates of the attacks. In just two hours, more than 4,000 people have shared Plantu's work on Twitter.
—PLANTU (@plantu) March 22, 2016
—Jessica Roomberg (@jklein414) March 22, 2016
—✞ Rhi ✞ (@rhilawton) March 22, 2016
One meme being passed around is a play on the #JeSuisBruxelles and #JeSuisParis hashtags that have become emblematic after these events on social media.
—Lucas Gerrits (@LucasGerrits) March 22, 2016
#PrayForBelgium is also extremely popular. At the time of this post, there was an average of 20 new tweets per minute from around the world.
—Sabrina Fallah (@sabrinafallah) March 22, 2016
—njh (@narryftxniall) March 22, 2016
—Denise (@dejoyworld) March 22, 2016
Belgians are also taking to Twitter to offer up their homes and spare rooms to people stranded by Tuesday's terror attacks with hashtags like #OpenHouse, #PorteOuverte, and #IkWilHelpen ("I want to help"). A similar effort took place in Paris in November.
Don't use the hashtags unless you are actively offering aid, or seeking it, so as not to make it more difficult for people who are.
