On Sunday, September 5, 2021, a memorial walk took place in Antwerp to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust under the message "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it". Peace-seekers walked with gentle steps through the streets of Antwerp, where the heavy boots of the occupiers resounded eighty years ago.
Commemorating the Holocaust is crucial to build a city and Europe where anti-Semitism and racism will never again have a place.
Elderly and young, old and new citizens of Antwerp and people of all beliefs shared this collective memory. They walked together to the Monument to the Deported Citizens, where a ceremony took place. Speakers included Annelies Verlinden, Minister of the Interior; Regina Suchowolski-Sluszny, President of the Forum of Jewish Organisations; Philippe Markiewicz, President of the Central Jewish Consistory of Belgium; Bruno Aerts, Vicar General of the Diocese of Antwerp; Kristien Hemmerechts, writer; Jan De Volder, Community of Sant'Egidio.
