Belgium and EU commemorate terror victims 2016
by Roni Alasor
Brussels, 22 March 2017 - Middle East Diplomatic (MED) - Belgium and EU leaders commemorate terror victims: It was a heavy day for all citizens of the EU capital Brussels and Belgium to remember this terror day, 22 March 2016 when over 30 people were killed and more than 260 were injured.
King Philippe of Belgium, Prime Minister Charles Michel, Belgium Government officials and leaders of the European institutions marked the first anniversary of the terror attacks, which hit Brussels Airport and metro station Maalbeek.
Several commemoration ceremonies took place at Zaventen Airport, in Maalbeek underground station and in Schuman place where a memorial to the victims, `Flight in mind` was unveiled.
During the ceremonies, King Philippe of Belgium addressed an important message to all citizens and called them to learn lessons from the attacks:
“It’s the responsibility of each and every one of us to make our society more humane, and more just. Let’s learn to listen to each other again, to respect each other’s weaknesses,” he said.
Donald Tusk, President of the European Council also addressed a message at the commemoration ceremonies: "The European institutions are hosted in Brussels thanks to the generosity of Belgium`s government and its people. The European Union returns this solidarity now and will fulfil its role to help Brussels, Belgium and Europe as a whole counter the terror threat which we are all facing"
European Commission’s President Jean-Claude Juncker asked the solidarity of all Europe to stand firm against terror: “These loathsome terrorist attacks struck at the very heart of Europe here in Belgium, in our capital, Brussels - a multilingual and multinational city where we enjoy living together in harmony. Faced with this unprecedented and incomprehensible violence, those of us living in Brussels and Belgium, with the support of all the peoples of Europe, chose to stand firm and not lose hope. During this terrible ordeal, Europeans stood together in the fight against terrorism that threatens our safety and peace throughout the world. We showed our determination to defend our values and our freedoms no matter what”.
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani (EPP) also held a press conference deploring the wave of terror in Europe and explaining the necessity of moving forward from the tragedy. “We want to strengthen the human values, we want to strengthen the dialogue between different religions, cultures, but fight in unity against violence and terror.”