Some in the Netherlands say that we should give no attention in the media to these attacks. What do you get than? Maybe even more severe attacks.
One of the most powerful images that I will never forget was a BBC News report from Belfast in the early 70's. It was the aftermath of a bomb explosion and the Army, Police and Fire Services were clearing up. One shot was of a Fireman shovelling up what appeared to be the carcass of a dead animal, only it wasn't. It was the torso of an individual who had caught the full force of the blast. Just the torso, no head or limbs. Clothes and skin flailed from the body to show the rib cage of whoever it may have been. As a child, that image had a profound affect on me and it comes back to me every time there is an atrocity like this.
With today's sanitized mainstream media, social media has taken over. This has limited the ability of the mainstream media and Governments attempts to shield us from the worst horrors of these events. The horror of this attack and aftermath and the devastating injuries have probably been viewed by untold amounts of people over social media. No censorship, no respect for the families of the dead, dying and injured. Propaganda for the perpetrators, anguish for the victims. And the viewers, what ages are they. Unlike me watching the BBC report with my parents, they may be watching alone or sharing with friends. Do they understand what is happening? How is it affecting them psychologically? Should Mainstream media coverage be more graphic so that parents and children can talk about these attacks in a broader context?
When I saw the Belfast report all those years ago I never envisaged not only visiting the city on a regular basis but visiting it during the 'Troubles'. Things like this should be reported, but they should be put into perspective. I don't feel any less safer now, than I did as a young child watching that BBC report. The best way of dealing with these attacks is to carry on as normal.