A whole lot of scholars at Damascus College trampled on a statue of considered one of Syria’s former rulers on Sunday, expressing jubilation as they returned to class every week after rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad.
“The ambiance is extraordinary. Everyone seems to be completely satisfied — take a look at how joyful individuals are,” stated medical pupil Rinad Abdallah, 18.
In entrance of her stood a big statue of Hafez al-Assad, who dominated Syria after seizing energy in a cold navy coup in 1970, vandalised and dropped at the bottom.
“I’ve an outdated picture the place I am posing in entrance of the statue. Now, I’ll pose on the similar place, however with out the statue,” Abdallah stated with glee.
Bashar al-Assad dominated from his father Hafez’s loss of life in 2000 till final week when rebels took the capital Damascus, greater than 13 years after his repression of pro-democracy protests sparked Syria’s civil battle.
Ali Allaham, dean of the humanities college, advised AFP that programs resumed Sunday with round 80 p.c of workers and “a big quantity” of scholars.
Within the courtyard, lots of of scholars gathered, chanting revolutionary slogans and brandishing the three-starred independence flag, an emblem of the rebellion that started in 2011.
“We have waited a extremely very long time for this second,” stated Yasmine Shehab, 29, an English literature pupil.
Now, “there is no such thing as a longer this statue that was oppressing us with its presence”, she stated.
“We lastly be at liberty! We will lastly say what we predict with out concern,” added Shehab, expressing confidence in Syria’s future.
“There will probably be a spot for all of the communities who will go ahead, hand in hand,” she stated.
– Schoolchildren again –
In a spontaneous rally, 1000’s of scholars headed in the direction of the central Ummayad Sq., the place Syrians for days have been celebrating Assad’s fall.
Head of the transitional authorities Mohammad al-Bashir this week stated the coalition led by Islamist insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham would “assure the rights of all individuals and all sects in Syria”, a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional nation.
College college students too, some in uniform, returned to class on Sunday for the primary time since Assad’s ouster.
On their option to faculty, a gaggle of ladies gestured the “V” for victory signal. One had drawn a three-starred flag on her cheek, whereas others proudly waved one within the air.
Mom of three Raghida Ghosn, 56, stated that “the varsity has requested us to ship center and higher pupils again to class. The youthful ones will return in two days”.
Inside a classroom, a big three-starred flag now hangs on the wall — a sight unthinkable in government-held areas throughout Assad’s iron-fisted rule.
An worker at one faculty stated that “not more than 30 p.c” of schoolchildren had been again at school on Sunday, however that “these numbers will rise steadily”.
Enterprise life has resumed as properly, with many individuals going to work as regular early on Sunday, the primary day of the working week in Syria.
An AFP journalist noticed round a dozen individuals queueing exterior a bakery within the metropolis’s Rokn-Eddine district.
Road distributors promoting cans of petrol had been additionally plying their commerce, in a rustic hit by gas shortages and the place energy cuts stay widespread, with some outages lasting as much as 20 hours a day in some areas.
