Brussels in its third day on lockdown as police sweep Belgium's capital city for suspects connected to ISIS and terrorism.
Belgium's minister of defense, Steven Vandeput, tweeted a request for citizens to not share information and pictures of ongoing police activity because it could disrupt their work.
Rather than just stay quiet, Belgians had a better idea.
And so, residents responded to a serious crisis in a stereotypically 21st-century manner: by sharing cat memes.
The kitties, and the trend #BrusselsLockdown, were everywhere.
The federal police seemed to appreciate the Internet's best efforts. They tweeted a "thank you" on Monday for all the cat pics.
That's the spirit, Brussels.
Citations: Twitter Cats to the Rescue in Brussels Lockdown (The New York Times), 1,000 Cops Hunt Paris Suspect Salah Abdeslam (NBC)
