Brussels terror attacks generate nearly 17.5 million more Google News results than Ankara car bombing

'Is it because you just don’t realise that Ankara is no different from any of these cities?'

Serina Sandhu
Wednesday 23 March 2016 12:17 GMT
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People pay tribute to the victims of the Brussels attacks
People pay tribute to the victims of the Brussels attacks

The attacks in Brussels, which killed at least 31 people and injured more than 200, have led to international condemnation of terrorism.

Media outlets have been reporting on the events since the news broke and following every update. Images showing the world standing in solidarity with Brussels have been widely circulating.

On Google News, typing in Brussels attacks generates more than 18 million results.

But, as reported by MIC, this is a stark comparison to the reaction following a deadly attack which took place in Turkey just over a week ago.

A car bomb exploded near a bus stop in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, killing at least 37 people on 13 March. The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks claimed responsibility for the attack which injured more than 70 people.

But on Google News, searching for this attack - Ankara car bomb - brings up fewer than 400,000 results.

Such a disparity in coverage and reaction has led some people, such as Facebook user James Taylor, to call upon the world to show more solidarity with Turkey.

In a post that has now gone viral and been shared more than 120,000 times, Mr Taylor, who has lived in Ankara for 18 months, said: “It is very easy to look at terror attacks that happen in London, in New York, in Paris and feel pain and sadness for those victims, so why is not the same for Ankara?"

"Is it because you just don’t realise that Ankara is no different from any of these cities?”

He then referenced a phrase that spread widely on social media following the Charlie Hebdo shooting in January 2015 and the Paris terror attacks in November.

“You were Charlie, you were Paris. Will you be Ankara?”

The social media reaction to Brussels, in comparison to Ankara, has also been criticised.

On Wednesday, two suicide bombers involved in the Brussels attacks were named by local media as brothers Khalid and Ibrahim, also known as Brahim, el-Bakraoui. Police are also searching for suspect Najim Laachraoui, according to local media.

Terror group Isis claimed responsibility for the two explosions at Brussels Airport and one at Maalbeek Metro Station on Tuesday morning.

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