Syrian refugees in Germany: “We are all going back!” (Video)

The fall of Assad gives millions of refugees hope of being able to return home. In total, almost 14 million people have been displaced, 7.2 million of whom are on the run within their own country. Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq have taken in the most refugees. Around 700,000 Syrians live as refugees or asylum seekers in Germany.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) called the end of Al-Assad’s rule good news. He brutally oppressed his people and killed countless people. “The Syrian people have experienced terrible suffering,” said the Chancellor. The new EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also welcomed the fall.

In Berlin alone, thousands celebrated the fall of Al-Assad. For example, according to the police, around 5,000 people gathered at Oranienplatz in Kreuzberg in the afternoon. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the police counted more than 15,000 people at rallies in several cities.

Al-Assad has ruled since the death of his dictatorial father Hafez in 2000. There were protests against him during the Arab Spring in 2011. The violent suppression of the protests developed into a civil war, which Assad only ended with military help from Russia Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia survived politically.

The rebel group began the offensive against government troops on November 27th. They reached the capital on December 7th. Eyewitnesses reported that many Syrian soldiers took off their uniforms and offered little resistance. The army leadership finally declared Assad’s government over and sent the soldiers home.