Syrian exiles in Germany expressed euphoria on Sunday over the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, as they followed news of rapid developments in their homeland.
“Let us reconstruct our Syria together,” human rights lawyer Michal Shammas wrote on his Facebook page.
Hassan al-Aswad of the Syrian Democratic Alliance called on Syrians to forgive those who had been part of the old system but had not committed serious crimes.
The lawyer from the southwestern Syrian city of Daraa, who lives in exile in Hannover, published a video praising the fact that the rebels had not destroyed state infrastructure during their advance on Damascus.
“I forgive the person who has lived in my house since 2012.” He added: “May God forgive you. I don’t want anything from you.”
Syrians faced a major test, al-Aswad said. “War is not easy, but peace is more difficult,” he said. Those guilty of crimes must receive a fair trial – something Syrians have not experienced in the past, he added.
Since Saturday, Syrian opponents of the overthrown regime have been publishing videos showing the liberation of prisoners. They are also believed to include political prisoners held under the rule of Bashar’s father Hafez al-Assad, who died in 2000.
Meanwhile, in Berlin on Sunday, a group held a spontaneous demonstration celebrating the change of power in Syria in the city’s Neukölln district, waving flags reading “Free Syria.”
Police described the gathering as a “relatively small group” and said no significant incidents had occurred.
The demonstration was preceded by a motorcade through Neukölln on Saturday evening. Police reported a gathering of hundreds of Syrians “demonstrating against the caliphate.” No significant incidents have been reported.
Neukölln, in the southeast of the German capital, is home to a large number of immigrants.
In the recent past, there have been violent pro-Palestinian demonstrations expressing anger over Israeli behavior in the war in the Gaza Strip.
