'Enough'

With this bike tour, we want to encourage women to conquer the city by bike, but it's up to the city to make sure they can do so safely. This place on the canal made all the headlines in 2019, when a 23-year-old student cycled along the water to a dinner with friends but never got around to it. Julie Van Espen was eventually found murdered after falling into the hands of a sex offender. The event caused a shock wave throughout Flanders, a silent march took place in Antwerp.

After the death of Julie Van Espen, the city decided to have a spatial safety scan carried out of the area, and a series of measures were taken, such as more lighting, more social control and camera surveillance. There is also a strong focus on the perception of safety of cyclists by focusing on the cleanliness of the bicycle connection along the Albert Canal, and tackling the pillars of the bridges through street art. If you cycle along the water now, you will see tributes to Julie Van Espen everywhere.

Street Art Antwerp committed itself to creating a work of art for all victims of sexual violence and teamed up with the Antwerp tattoo and graffiti artist Djoels (stage name of Julie Bouckhuyt). She painted the wall of the Candico sugar factory, in the middle of the places where Julie was attacked and murdered. With this fresco she wants to honour Julie, but also shout out her indignation about the omnipresent sexual violence. 'Enough' shows a cyclist riding towards darkness. The face on the right looks at the scene of the crime, while the woman's back radiates vulnerability. Peonies are Julie's favorite flowers. At the request of the parents, the word 'Enough' was added, as a tattoo on the woman's shoulder.

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