How did it get to this, People ask, as terrorism forces them to change they way they live

One moring after I had returned from covering the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, I was sitting at the breakfast table with my son, aged 11, when he told me that the uncle of one of his classmates had been killed in the Paris attacks on Nov 13.

"Is Brussels safe?" my son suddenly asked me while drinking his milk.

He is in his final year in a primary school not far from the European Union headquarters in Brussels. In September he started to go to school on his own and he needed me to reassure him with my answer.

At breakfast, he added that classmates told him that soldiers with guns are protecting European Union office buildings and patrolling the neighborhood.

I asked whether there are any police beside his school gate and he shook his head, saying no.

On hearing this, I wondered whether I should let him go to school on his own anymore. But wanting to encourage him to be independent and brave, we still let him go.

However, I decided to cancel my attendance at a forum in Paris, which had been intended as a warm-up before the coming United Nations climate talks. At that time, terrorism was too close.

With the Belgian government saying it has concrete information that similar attacks in Paris could occur in Brussels, there is a sense that terrorism may be just around the corner. The government has raised the alert to the highest level.

Fear gripped the European capital over the weekend. Subway services were suspended, extracurricular classes for children were canceled and the government urged people to avoid crowded places such as stores, stations, restaurants and other gathering places. Police and soldiers have been patrolling the streets.

Fueling the fear is the fact that a 25-minute walk from the center of Brussels brings you to the Molenbeek area of the capital, which has been linked to the Paris attacks and a number of other terrorist attacks. It has been reported that more than 100 militants may be in Belgium, with hundreds more in other European countries.

People's normal daily lives have been changed by such reports and the heightened terrorism alert, and many have canceled their weekend activities and have chosen instead to stay at home.

Of course, people should follow the instructions of the government. But in the face of such a threat, the government should do more to eliminate the opportunities that may give terrorists a chance to attack.

It is true that before the terrorism alert was raised to the highest level, European institutions and other governmental offices were protected by soldiers during office hours on weekdays.

But as my son told me, schools are not well protected. And there are no luggage checks at the entrances of Brussels airport and railway stations.

These are obvious loopholes, especially in a time of emergency such as this. Police and soldiers should be with the ordinary people to boost their sense of security.

On WeChat, the most popular instant messaging service in China, people are suggesting ways to teach children what to do in the event of a terrorist attack.

It is distressing to have to be taught this kind of survival knowledge. Europe is one of the most wealthy and livable continents. Why has it come to this? How the roots of terrorism on the continent can be crushed has become the question on most people's lips.

The author is China Daily chief correspondent in Brussels. Contact the writer at fujing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 11/27/2015 page14)