The hunt for terrorism suspects in Brussels locked down Belgium’s largest city over the weekend. Local police asked residents not to post news of police action they might seen in their neighborhood on social media. After Belgium’s defense minister advised people to stay off social media, the hashtag #BrusselsLockdown began trending. But not for the reason you might think. He told people to “retweet” or forward his message to their followers. And they obliged. But many people attached funny photos of cats to the hashtag #BrusselsLockdown. Even the Belgian police got in on the fun, posting a photo of a bowl of cat food and the comment “For the cats who helped us last night Help yourself!” One commenter on the web called the cat photos a “purrfect” response to the police request. As the lockdown continued into Monday morning, the hashtag remained relevant.
