Turbulent start of winter

The start of winter was not that cold in Belgium. Actually the year 2015 saw the hottest 17 December ever recorded in Belgium with 16°C! A series of events also made Belgium a "hotspot" that got the media's attention, and it just went on and on until Christmas...

The Phantom Menace

After Paris attacks, the alert level was raised to 4 in Brussels because the Government found a potential threat. The decision was, according to a Belgian media (DH), triggered by a text message saying that a group of people was planning something in the capital very soon.

As a result of this fourth level of alert, the metro was completely blocked and schools remained closed for a few days. People were asked to avoid crowded places like shopping centres or train stations, and it was forbidden to launch any demonstration (too bad for the start of COP21 on climate change!).

#soldiers in #brussels pic.twitter.com/XGxofBdM1j

— Alain Van Kerckhoven (@bowmore64) November 26, 2015

Usually popular streets in the centre remained empty and silent, which is strange for the pre-Christmas period. A few tanks towered these streets and a lot of soldiers were charged of protecting them, making the city look like a war zone... As an anecdote, one soldier got photographied on Facebook carrying a shopping bag around a commercial area of Brussels!

Belgium got a bad reputation in France and around the world. The country was accused of not giving the appropriate check on potential fanatic killers, who later on went to France with the results that we know. A particularly bad picture was given of the commune of Molenbeek, with its important Maghrebi community. Homes of a lot of people got searched and some were arrested in the whole country.

Belgium goes meow!

The police officially asked people in Belgium not to give away any information about these raids to undermine criminal networks. The advice was followed by many, who instead of publishing serious and specific details about the raids conducted by the police, flooded social media with so-called "Lolcats" (i.e. funny pictures of cats with captions) using the #BrusselsLockDown hashtag. The national police later expressed its gratitude to the population by publishing a tweet with a (virtual) bowl of cat food! Further evidence that humour is an integral part of Belgian culture.

Forget terrorism. Go surrealism #BrusselsLockdown Video https://t.co/0NEp0NxxQz pic.twitter.com/i9FERa0HWH

— beebah (@beebah) November 26, 2015

At the same time, a French newspaper (Canard Enchainé) published a stolen photography of the Royal Couple on holiday. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were relaxing in a spa in Brittany, France on 21st and 22nd December. The king was photographed in a bathrobe reading and drinking cocktail. The Belgian public opinion thought that it was a bit unfair for someone representing the country, but the Royal Family insured that it was a private trip that they had been planning for a long time and King Philippe was always in contact with Belgian authorities.

On 26th November, the alert level was lowered to 3 (and it is still going on), like the rest of Belgium. The metro re-opened and the threat was considered as less imminent, probably because the main fugitive had left the country, hidden in a cupboard...

It was also the start of Christmas markets in many Belgian cities. In Brussels, a light and music show lights up the the newly renovated Grand'Place. This time, a huge Christmas tree was transported from the Walloon Ardennes. In addition, a human-size crib (with real sheep!) was set up next to it. Last year a group of militants made a demonstration inside it, so this year the authorities put fences to protect it.

There are still a few days for you to visit Belgian Christmas markets. The Brussels one ends on 3rd January, like many others (Antwerp, Oostende, Mons, Durbuy...), and it finishes on 30th December in Liège and 31st December in Namur.

Merry Christmas everyone and thanks for your faithfulness in this blog!