THE famous Belgian statue of a peeing boy has become the perfect symbol of resistance in the hours after the devastating Brussels attacks.

Social media users have adapted the image of Manneken Pis, a bronze sculpture of a child urinating into a fountain, to express defiance towards the jihadists.

The boy, long considered an emblem of Belgium’s rebellious spirit, is pictured peeing in terrorists’ faces in the tongue-in-cheek memes.

“As we’re praying for the people of Brussels, their famous #MannekenPis can tell haters where to go,” wrote artist Kevin Grass on Twitter.

Other images showed the statue urinating on guns and on a stick of dynamite with the words “Pis and love”. Another pictured the boy with his hands folded and the hashtags #MannekenPeace and #MannekenPray.

Praying for Brussels this morning and remembering eating waffles by the #mannekenpis 15 years ago. pic.twitter.com/Xv0axtM2wF — Jack Droppers (@JD_storyteller) March 22, 2016

On #WorldWaterDay as we're praying for the people of Brussels, their famous #MannekenPis can tell haters where to go pic.twitter.com/AwGRzFenzb — Kevin Grass, artist (@fineartfan) March 22, 2016

Tens of thousands of people around the world have taken to Instagram and Twitter using the hashtags #JeSuisBruxelles or #JeSuisBelge to show their solidarity with the Belgian capital.

Images of Belgian cartoon character Tintin in tears have also been widely shared across social media in the hours after the terror attacks in Brussels.

The world-famous adventurer, created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, is being used to pay tribute to the victims of the three bomb blasts that devastated Brussels on Tuesday morning, killing at least 34 people and injuring around 250.

The Adventures of Tintin, written by Remi under the pen name Hergé, has long been a symbol of Brussels and the beloved children’s book character is a national hero in Belgium.

The young reporter and adventurer (and his dog Snowy) always got the better of the baddies in the end. His image appears in art galleries, museums, murals and themed restaurants across the country.

French newspaper Le Monde also shared an image from acclaimed cartoonist Plantu, expressing its support for Belgium in the wake of the attacks.

In the heartbreaking drawing, a figure dressed in French colours puts an arm around a crying Belgian flag. Both are weeping and the image is captioned with the dates March 22 and November 13, the day of the Brussels attacks and the day 130 people died at the hands of jihadist gunmen and bombers in Paris.

Two Explosions Reported At Brussels Airport...!

My Home... — Tintin (@Tintin) March 22, 2016

Twitter hashtags #Belgium and #PrayForBelgium were trending across Europe and the United States as thousands offered their sympathy and support. Hundreds also offered to shelter people stranded by the transport chaos after the blasts with the hashtags #openhouse in English, French and Flemish.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes four days after the arrest of Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam in the Molenbeek district of the city.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel called it a “blind, violent and cowardly” attack that marked a “tragic moment in our country’s history”. World leaders have pledged their support.