Syrian community members in Berlin, Germany, waved Syrian flags during a rally on Sunday to celebrate the end of Bashar al-Assad's rule after rebel fighters seized control of Damascus, the Syrian capital. AFP
Thousands of Syrians in Berlin rejoiced on Sunday over the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, honking car horns and waving opposition flags. 'We're happy. The dictatorship is over. Assad has gone,' said 39-year-old Ahmed, who chose not to disclose his last name. 'All Syrians are together now,' added the railway technician, who escaped Aleppo in 2015.
Germany hosts the largest Syrian diaspora in the EU, with over one million Syrians. Hundreds of thousands arrived after the Syrian civil war began in 2011. Many reside in Berlin, particularly in the working-class district of Neukoelln, where spontaneous celebrations erupted early Sunday. Crowds flooded a main street in Neukoelln, waving the green, white, black, and red opposition flag, before gathering in the adjacent Kreuzberg district. Many brought children with painted faces in the Syrian national colors to express their joy and relief. The crowd quickly grew into the thousands, with some making the V for victory sign and chanting 'Allah u Akbar' ('God is greatest').
Ahmad al-Hallabi, 27, joined the initial gathering in Neukoelln with his two children. 'This government has finally fallen,' said the mechanic from Aleppo. 'Ten years ago, I was in Syria and witnessed horrors no one should endure, memories that can't be erased.' 'Assad is the worst terrorist imaginable,' he said, recounting his 2015 escape to Germany via Turkey and Greece. 'I hope for peace and the rebuilding of all that Assad and his men destroyed,' he added.
The German government issued a cautious statement about Syria's future. 'At this point, it's impossible to assess what exactly is happening in Syria,' Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock posted on X. 'But one thing is clear: The end of Assad is a significant relief for millions in Syria—after an eternity of atrocities by the Assad regime.' Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned Assad's brutal oppression and called for a political solution to stabilize the country.
Anwar al-Bunni, a Syrian human rights lawyer granted asylum in Germany in 2014, spoke to AFP before the government's fall but as rebel forces neared the capital. 'I knew this moment was coming because I believe the Syrian people, seeking freedom, will finally achieve it,' he said. Bunni, who spent five years imprisoned in Syria, contributed to a 2022 German court case that sentenced a former Syrian army colonel to life for crimes against humanity. It was the first global trial examining Assad government abuses. Colonel Anwar Raslan, 58, was convicted of killing 27 prisoners and torturing at least 4,000 in 2011 and 2012 at Damascus's Al-Khatib jail. Bunni recognized him on the streets of Berlin.
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