Brussels attacks 10 years on: a survivor’s testimony
Ten years after the Brussels bombings of 22 March 2016, Christelle Giovannetti still bears the scars. Yet the 40-year-old French woman, who was at Maelbeek metro station when suicide bombers struck, says she has found meaning in the connections that have emerged from the atrocity.
At 7:58 that morning, two bombs exploded at Brussels Airport, before a second explosion at Maelbeek at 9:11. Thirty-two people were killed in the twin attacks and hundreds were injured.
“Those few minutes changed my whole life,” Giovannetti tells Belga. The memory of the explosion remains ever-present. “I can’t walk past Maelbeek without thinking about it and reliving the scene. That event has left an indelible mark on me.”
Ten years later, she still experiences after-effects. “I have problems with noise. Some of it really hurts my ears,” she says. “I have three children; they know they have to be careful, but they’re still young and sometimes they forget.”
Beyond the physical injuries, the attack profoundly altered her relationship with the world. For a long time, everyday stimuli would reignite the trauma. “When an ambulance drove past, I would break down. I didn’t want to take the metro anymore; the fumes bothered me,” she recalls.
"Those few minutes changed my whole life. That event has left an indelible mark on me"
Yet amid the horror of that day, she was affected by the outpouring of solidarity. She helped several other victims in the station in the midst of the chaos.
“What struck me that day was the humanity,” she says. “I was stepping out of a devastated metro carriage with horrific images in my mind, but I was looked after by people who stopped to help, by paramedics who gave their all to save us. I felt a sense of ambivalence: I saw the worst of human nature and, at the same time, the best.”
She has gone on to help set up and run organisations aimed at supporting those affected by the attacks, many of whom were unaware they were entitled to assistance. Among her roles is a position on the board of Life for Brussels, a support association with more than 700 members.
Over the years, strong bonds have formed around her. “I met four friends, all victims of the metro attacks,” she says. “Together, we built a small support group.”
The trial in 2023 of those accused of carrying out the attacks was a significant milestone for her, and she attended numerous sessions in court alongside other victims.
Following the trial, she took part in a restorative justice programme with the non-profit organisation Médiante, which enabled her, after several months of preparation, to meet one of the perpetrators, Mohamed Abrini.
Abrini, who left a suitcase full of explosives at the airport, was sentenced to 30 years in prison having been found guilty of terrorist murder, attempted murder and membership of a terrorist group
Giovannetti now regularly takes part in prison visits as part of the Retissons du lien collective, where she speaks to offenders of various types.
“I don’t go there thinking I’m going to change anyone. I go there first and foremost for myself, to meet people and find out who they are, how they think,” she says. “And for them, it’s important to remember that there are victims, faces behind the events.”
A decade after the attacks, the anniversary is still a mixed occasion for her. “It’s sometimes hard to see the media bringing all this up again every March. But at the same time, it’s essential for the collective memory,” she believes.
“I get the impression that in Belgium – unlike in France – these attacks are not yet really part of our collective history. Yet they have left a deep mark on society. We must remember that this happened here, in Brussels. We must teach it and not forget it.”
Giovannetti has made Brussels her home since leaving France, and she continues to move on from that morning in 2016. She takes the metro to work every day, even though she still feels uneasy and is unnerved by large crowds.
“I’m getting by,” she says. “I’m not just a victim of the attacks. I’m also a woman, a mother, a worker. I’m all of those things at once.”
The memorial to the victims at Maelbeek metro station in Brussels © BELGA PHOTO POOL OLIVIER HOSLET
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