While many leaders in the region, from Libya to Tunisia to Egypt, resigned or were forcibly removed following the Arab Spring, Bashar al-Assad clung to power. He ordered the military to launch a brutal crackdown on the unrest, which resulted in approximately 3,500 protester deaths.
After months of violence by security forces, armed rebel groups began forming across the country, and what started as an insurrection had, by 2012, escalated into a full-blown civil war.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, over 14 million Syrians were forced to flee their homes to escape more than a decade of conflict. Over 7.2 million remain internally displaced within Syria, with others having fled abroad.
While many settled in countries closest to Syria (Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt), many chose to seek asylum in European countries, and the news of Assad’s downfall has been met with a mixture of disbelief and joy.
France“We can’t even believe it because it was a dream, really a dream. We’ve been waiting for a very long time. Sixty years of humiliation, of dictatorship. We’re free, we can’t believe it. I’m afraid to sleep to get up and realize it was a dream. No, we believe it now. We’re free. We’ve always wanted to know what freedom means.” – Amal Rifard
“It’s like tears of happiness today. We did not imagine this. I lost my family, my father, my mother, my brother, I lost many of my friends in Syria for this day. I wanted to celebrate this day in Syria today. Unfortunately, I am a refugee in France. But we will return. We will rebuild our country. That day will come.” – Thabet Fared Al Aech
Belgium“We all want to go back. It’s our country, our land, where we lived, where we grew up, where we really want to live our lives peacefully, without problems.”
“We’ve been waiting for freedom for 14 years, asking for it, and now we finally have it, and we are very happy to be here. Actually, all we want is peace.”
Finland“I can’t express how happy I am. All Syrians feel the same way. If you ask them how they feel, they’ll tell you they can’t describe it; they’re just happy. Now we have freedom, we have democracy, we can be who we want, everyone can be who they want. I can’t say more about what’s happening in Syria, but from the bottom of my heart, I hope for peace in Syria.” – Diyaa Mouhamad
United Kingdom“I couldn’t imagine we’d reach this moment. Do you know what’s happened now? The dictator is dead. What’s regrettable is that Syria’s freedom came at such a high price.” – Amina Khoulani
“We hope everything will stop now and we will start a new future for Syria, a democratic Syria.”
“Really, I am very, very happy to stay here, but I’m looking for the first flight to Syria to go back.”
Austria“We could return, but we don’t know yet. Until everything is well and the country is rebuilt, then we will definitely return. We are also very happy.”
“And now, it’s our time. Now, it’s our moment. Do you understand us? Now is our moment. Now. It is a revolution. It’s not a civil war in Syria. The media in Austria say that there is a civil war in Syria. But it’s not a civil war. It is a revolution. And now it’s finally finished. Assad’s regime is finished. It is over.” – Hussain
Switzerland“I’m very happy. This is the happiest day of my life. This is the freedom of my people. It’s people of all faiths, of all religions, gathered here together under one flag. We’ve never had a single demonstration where we had a single flag, and here we have a single flag. It’s the flag of liberation, the flag we will wave at the United Nations, in place of the flag of the regime that is dead and fallen. And look, there are Christians, Muslims, people, Kurds, Arabs, everyone is here and we are all together and we are one united people.” – Shady Ammane
Netherlands“I’m really happy. I am also very proud that Syria is finally free. It’s a celebration for us.”
“It’s a bit uncertain for now. We have to wait to see how they will handle this.”
“We are all optimistic. We are all Syrians and together we will rebuild Syria.”
Germany“This day is a dream for me and for everyone else too. Believe me, Assad left something in every family, whether in prison, displaced, or wounded. That’s why you feel this joy and all the people here, regardless of their religion, we all want to live together again.”
“We are really very happy to regain freedom after 14 years. Bashar al-Assad has flown to Russia with his family. And believe me, all Syrians in Germany and around the world will return to Syria to rebuild our country. Of course, we won’t forget that Germany helped us, gave us a lot. I myself studied, I studied medical technology, I finished my studies. I have German nationality, but I will also return to Syria to rebuild my country.”
