Were portraits of victims of the 2016 Brussels terror attacks vandalised?

Several cube-shaped memorial placards bearing testimonies from victims and relatives of the attacks of 22 March 2016 are damaged. The photos were put up in the European Quarter, between Schuman Circus and the Wetstraat.

According to Jamila Adda of victims’ organisation Life4Brussels, the installations may have been deliberately destroyed. The organisation has filed a complaint with the police.

“The investigation is ongoing, so we cannot draw any conclusions yet, but in our view these placards have been vandalised,” says Adda. “You can see that someone has put their hand underneath them to break them. Some were literally torn from their plinths, leaving these faces of resilience lying on the ground.”

‘According to the mayor, the wind might have been to blame, but I don’t believe that. These same portraits stood on the Munt in downtown Brussels for quite some time and were never blown over there.’

‘I can’t hold back my tears’

According to the organisation, this is taking a heavy toll on the victims and their families, especially as the recent commemorations are still fresh in their minds. "I can’t hold back my tears; my whole body is shaking at the sight of these mangled photos," one victim confides to Life4Brussels.

"It’s as if we’re being struck a second time. Seeing our faces lying there on the ground like that is an unbearable act of violence that I cannot explain."

In addition to the emotional impact, the financial damage is also enormous, says the organisation. "The cost of all these monumental structures is estimated at between 20,000 and 30,000 euros."

The Brussels-Capital Elsene police zone says it is investigating the matter.

UPDATE: The portraits of the victims of the 22 March 2016 Brussels terror attacks that were damaged were probably just blown over after all, the victims’ association Life4Brussels said on Monday afternoon. “It might make it a little easier to bear, but it remains difficult to see these portraits of resilience in such a ruined state.”

The damage probably had nothing to do with vandalism after all. It seems that the bad weather (and in particular the wind) is to blame, according to a new statement from Life4Brussels.

“Various sources suggest that the structures collapsed due to the wind. This hypothesis, which we had already cautiously put forward in our initial statement, will be a huge relief for the victims and survivors of the attacks.”