The City of Antwerp is marking the anniversary of its liberation with a new project that highlights little-known stories of resistance fighters of foreign origin. The travelling exhibition ‘White Ravens of the Resistance‘ (‘Witte raven van ‘t verzet‘) and an accompanying publication will bring to life the experiences of these men and women during World War II.

The project was presented on 4 September 2025, the date on which British tanks entered Antwerp in 1944. After clashes on the Meir and in the Stadspark or City Park, the Allies quickly gained control of the city centre. 

In cooperation with members of the resistance, they succeeded in preventing large-scale destruction of the port. Yet the liberation was far from complete. Merksem and Ekeren were freed only in early October, while the Scheldt estuary was cleared at the end of November. The war in Europe finally ended on 8 May 1945, though survivors of the camps only returned to Antwerp weeks or months later.

The annual commemoration of Antwerp’s liberation takes place as part of the remembrance programme Antwerp Remembers, which aims to keep the memory of the war alive. With the guiding motto ‘Always free. Never taken for granted.‘, the city underlines the importance of liberty and recalls the struggle to defend values and freedoms. 

As the last direct witnesses of the conflict gradually disappear, the new project seeks to pass on these stories through public and educational initiatives.

The Peace Centre or Vredescentrum is launching ‘White Ravens of the Resistance’ to shed light on the extraordinary experiences of resistance fighters of foreign origin. 

A pop-up exhibition and a 117-page publication provide historical context, personal portraits and unique archival material about these ‘white ravens’. The book is available for free download from the Peace Centre’s website, with 500 printed copies also produced.

Acting Mayor Els van Doesburg (N-VA) said: “The stories of these ‘white ravens’ are one of the many valuable pages in the book of our history. They are underexposed stories of courageous people of Antwerp who, driven by freedom and justice, risked their lives. By continuing to tell these stories, we make the story of Antwerp more complete. And perhaps more people of Antwerp today will recognise themselves in this shared past. In this way, we may feel more strongly connected with one another.”

Not only Belgians

Resistance against the German occupation in Belgium was not limited to Belgians themselves. After the war, the Belgian state recognised several thousand resistance fighters born abroad. Many came from neighbouring countries, but others had roots in Congo, China and more distant parts of the world. Their stories, often overlooked, show that the history of resistance is richer and more diverse than usually assumed.

The exhibition opens on 8 September 2025 at Antwerp City Hall on the Grote Markt, where it will run until 29 September. 

It is open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM in line with City Hall hours. Admission is free and no ticket is required. The display will then travel to other venues, including Permeke Library at De Coninckplein from 30 September to 17 October and Peace Library at Moorkensplein in Borgerhout from 27 October to 23 November. Additional dates and venues will be announced later.

Featured figures

One of the figures featured is Mohammed El Hadi Atteya (1917–1972), known as Eddy. Born in Egypt, he had lived in Antwerp since 1930, where his father ran a second-hand furniture shop. Together with his wife Rosalia Hendrika Nieuwlaat and their son Frederik Georges, he moved to Mortsel, where on 5 April 1943 the family narrowly survived the devastating Allied air raid that killed 936 residents, including 250 children, and destroyed their home.

On 4 September 1944, the day of Antwerp’s liberation, Atteya obtained a rifle as weapons were distributed to civilians by the resistance. Alongside two comrades, he helped disable machine-gun nests in Berchem near Barracks 7/8 and the railway station. When he learned that an SS officer had executed civilians for displaying the Belgian tricolour, Atteya tracked him down and shot him. Impressed by his courage, the Patriotic Militias, a left-wing resistance group, admitted him into their ranks. He subsequently took part in operations in Merksem, Putte, Wijnegem and Kallo. He was demobilised on 18 November 1944 and later officially recognised as an armed resistance fighter.

Atteya’s story is one of seven presented in the exhibition. 

Book

The accompanying publication expands the scope further, telling the life stories of resistance fighters with Chinese, Italian, Arab, Russian, Jewish, Congolese and Polish backgrounds. It also provides an account of these communities in Belgium before and during the war, and includes two cases of non-Belgians who, for various reasons, chose to collaborate with the occupiers.

For readers wishing to explore the subject more deeply, the publication offers detailed historical analysis, additional biographies, rare visual material and contemporary interviews. ISBN: 9789078487289

Art and museums in Antwerp

• Antwerp fashion museum MoMu will mark 40 years of The Antwerp Six with exhibition.
• ANTWERP | Museum Mayer van den Bergh opens exhibition ‘Public Favourites’, from Mad Meg to Delft Blue, look at art through other people’s eyes.
• ANTWERP | Museum Night 2025 on Saturday 2 August.
• ANTWERP | Middelheim Museum celebrates 75 years with a summer full of new ways to experience the art park.
• M HKA 2025 |​ Bruno Zhu – Panamarenko – ‘The Situation is Fluid’ – Today’s Place – Hugo Roelandt.
• ANTWERP | ‘These Branching Moments’ – ‘.tiff 2025′ – ”OM/MOTHER’: 3 new exhibitions at FOMU, from 28 June 2025.
• ANTWERP | ‘Panamarenko. Infinite Imagination’ exhibition until 4 May 2025 at KMSKA.
• ANTWERP | ‘Compassion’ in the MAS: the many faces of compassion.
• 2025 at the museums of Antwerp.
• 2025 at Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Antwerp (KMSKA): René Magritte, Marthe Donas, Panamarenko, Hans Op de Beeck.
• ANTWERP | Graphics Museum De Reede ft. Francisco Goya, Edvard Munch, Félicien Rops and Albrecht Dürer.
• ANTWERP | Rubens Experience and Rubens Garden at Rubenshuis.
• Antwerp will have a new Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp M HKA.
• ANTWERP | Innovations in the Middelheim Museum provide a completely new visitor experience.
• A visit of the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum – Vlaams Tram- en Autobusmuseum (VlaTAM) in Antwerp.
• ANTWERP | Discovering queer(ed) art with the Queer Tour at the KMSKA fine arts museum.
• REVIEW | Illusion Antwerpen, an active and photogenic museum.
• Antwerp museums and sports facilities team up with European Disability Card for accessible leisure activities.
• Museum Mayer van den Bergh.
• ANTWERP | Inside Rubens House.
• Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp.
• ANTWERP | Museum Vleeshuis up for restoration.
• BOOK | ‘Antwerp. An Archaeological View on the Origin of the City’ by Tim Bellens.
• Red Star Line Museum.
• Paleis op de Meir. 
• DIVA, Antwerp Home of Diamonds.
• ANTWERP | Red Star Line Museum of (e)migration.