- Time Period: Second World War
- Institution: 21 March 1951
- Country: Belgium
The Civilian Resistance Medal (Médaille du résistant civil / Burgerlijke Weerstandsmedaille) is a war service medal of the Kingdom of Belgium established on 21 March 1951 by royal decree and awarded to all members of the Belgian civilian resistance during the Second World War who were recognized as such by the law of 24 September 1946.
The Civilian Resistance Medal Design
The medal measures 39mm in diameter and is circular and struck in bronze. The obverse bears the relief image of the torso of a man breaking free of chains around his wrists, a woman stands behind him and slightly to his left. The reverse bears the relief inscription in Latin “RESTITERUNT” meaning “THEY RESISTED” with the years “1940” above and “1945” below. The reverse has a slightly raised border.
The ribbon masures 37 mm wide and is light green silk moiré, with two central 1 mm wide red stripes 5 mm apart and 4 mm black edge stripes. The colors of the ribbon are symbolic, the black denoting the dark days of the German occupation and/or the clandestine nature of the resistance, the green stands for the hope of liberation and the red for the spilled blood of the resistance members. The medal is suspended by a ring through a suspension loop.
