Syria demonstration in Berlin: About a girl who grew to become the middle of pleasure | EUROtoday

Fadwa Mahmoud is a brief girl in her late 60s with quick grey hair and delicate options. On this wet December day she is standing on Oranienplatz in Berlin-Kreuzberg, with round 5,000 individuals demonstrating round her. Fadwa Mahmoud is one thing like the key middle of pleasure. Someone is continually coming as much as her, congratulating her, hugging her. Some individuals hardly need to let go due to the enjoyment.

They know Mahmoud from her years of combating for Syria’s political prisoners – the greater than 100,000 individuals who have disappeared into the Assad regime’s underground prisons since 2011; People who have been tortured and killed en masse.

People like Mahmoud’s husband or her son. Mahmoud would not know the place they’re being held or whether or not they’re nonetheless alive. Nevertheless, she says she was overjoyed that day. “It’s like a dream come true.”

What many right here hardly thought doable has occurred: the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was overthrown, and after greater than 50 years the regime got here to a sudden finish. In the early morning of December eighth, the rebels from the Islamist group “Hayat Tahrir ash-Sham” managed to take the Syrian capital Damascus and drive out the dictator. He and his father symbolize leaden a long time of state oppression and violence, the complete extent of which is simply now coming to gentle.

After the failed Syrian revolution in 2011, hundreds of thousands of individuals fled the nation to flee warfare, torture and the catastrophic financial scenario. Almost 1,000,000 dwell in Germany – and euphorically celebrated the autumn of Assad in lots of cities on Sunday. They have been celebrations of confidence, but additionally of ache. Many individuals have been desirous about the individuals they needed to go away behind years in the past: their households, their pals, the disappeared and the useless. Like Fadwa Mahmoud on Oranienplatz in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

Since the autumn of Assad, individuals throughout Syria have begun opening prisons, liberating political prisoners and trying to find the disappeared.

Mahmoud has not but heard from her husband or son. But for the primary time in additional than ten years, the possibilities are good that she might have some certainty about her destiny.

“We’re waiting,” she says. She’s been doing this for years. “If I hear today that they are free, I will travel to Syria tomorrow.”

Oranienplatz continues to refill, and the streets round it are additionally filled with Syrians. Every every now and then a brand new wave of revelers pushes out of the subway station, and the roar of a chant retains approaching. “Freedom for the people, whether you want it or not, Assad!” they shout, and: “Raise your head, you are Syrian.”

Everywhere is the flag of the Syrian revolution, inexperienced, white, black with three pink stars. It is swung, rests on shoulders, is painted on faces. Old individuals and households combine with hipsters and younger individuals, all saying “Mabruk” – Arabic for congratulations. Strangers trade concepts about the place they arrive from in Syria.

On the bus, a person says to a baby: “Inshallah you will travel to Syria and get to know the country.” Traveling to Syria: Some people who find themselves celebrating Assad’s downfall in Berlin-Kreuzberg at the moment are desirous about this.

Hossam, 42, has lived in Germany for nearly ten years. The studied historian works right here as a social employee. He actually needs to journey to Damascus to see his mom and brother. They have not held one another’s arms since 2014. But again to Syria completely? “I built a life here, worked, paid taxes, had a child who doesn’t know Syria. However, I have nothing there.”

Hossam hopes for Syria’s reconstruction, together with worldwide help. He says: “Then there will definitely be a lot of jobs created in the country.” But he additionally says: “I’m afraid of the future. You just have to look at the experiences of Egypt, Libya or Iraq. People there were also happy and disappointed. The transition can take a long time.” Then he takes his little daughter in his arms and turns to the dancing crowd, waving a flag.

“When Syria is safe, I’ll go back,” says Mohammed, smoking a cigarette on the sidelines of the demonstration. The 34-year-old electrician wears a bun and a lumberjack shirt and has the Syrian revolutionary flag tied round him like a cape. In 2012 he fled from army service and lived in Turkey for a very long time. He has solely just lately been in Berlin. “Nobody is here as a tourist or because they want to,” says Mohammed. He longs for his household, his pals and neighbors, for the streets of his hometown Aleppo. “We still have to be patient,” he believes, however he’s assured that the overthrow has to date been non-violent and respectful. “The Assad regime has sown interfaith conflicts to divide us.” Now it’s important that the individuals stick collectively.

Somewhat additional on, Vinda from Damascus is standing, pushing a stroller along with her twins forwards and backwards. “No matter what happens, it gets better,” she says. After all, the individuals of their homeland have “developed a political consciousness through the years of war. We will not get involved in sectarian agitation.”

Vinda was pressured to go away Syria in 2011 after receiving loss of life threats after political posts on Facebook. Like many others, she can not put into phrases how she felt that day. “It’s something you dream about all your life but don’t believe it could come true.” The oppression did not simply begin in 2011, she says, however 50 years in the past. The 34-year-old has not but skilled a Syria with out Assad.

“The fear was firmly anchored in Syria,” says Moustafa Gumrok, who got here to Oranienplatz with a bunch of older males. He is 74 years previous and has lived in Berlin for greater than fifty years. He studied right here, bought married, had kids and grandchildren, and based a soccer membership for people who find themselves new to the nation. He wears a knitted scarf within the colours of the Syrian flag round his neck.

“We’ve all been so depressed over the last 13 years,” says Gumrok. “At that time we were very close to overthrowing Assad. But then Russia and Iran put him back up again.” Like many others, Gumrok tried to combat for a free Syria from overseas. “But we never thought we would see this day.” For Gumrok, Germany is now as a lot a house as Syria. But when the scenario on website is secure, he wish to journey to his hometown of Aleppo along with his pals. He grins with anticipation as he thinks about it: “We want to have breakfast there in the café near the citadel.”

Yasmina Ahmed*, a 33-year-old lawyer from Damascus, additionally got here to Oranienplatz. She was awake all night time. “Nobody’s sleeping right now,” she says. “Time no longer plays a role for Syrians.” Early within the morning of this historic Sunday, when it was clear that the dictator Bashar al-Assad had fallen, she went with pals to the Syrian embassy in Berlin. They wished to interchange the flag.

“The police were confused,” says Yasmina, laughing. “That was the message from Syria, they said. And we replied: But there is no longer a Syrian regime.”

In the afternoon, whereas she was nonetheless on the best way to the demonstration, Yasmina despatched a selfie: the younger girl with brown curls and a nostril piercing beamed into the digicam, whereas a pal subsequent to her confirmed the peace signal. “We are very happy,” she wrote.

Now she stands right here with 1000’s of compatriots and celebrates the top of an period that appeared to many like an infinite nightmare. But pleasure is only one of many emotions related to this alteration.

In the night Yasmina is overwhelmed by grief and worry. Videos of the liberation of political prisoners are circulating on the Internet. For the primary time, they present the inside of the prisons the place tens of 1000’s of political prisoners have disappeared for years. Torture, sexual violence, extrajudicial executions, inhumane jail circumstances: all of this was omnipresent there, and numerous individuals didn’t survive their imprisonment.

When Yasmina talks about it, she cries uncontrollably: “It looks exactly like what we’ve heard for years. It’s terrible. I’ve never seen anything like it. In Sednaya Prison, people are stuck three floors underground, including women and children. I don’t give a shit who will rule Syria and how. I just want to know that these people are safe.”

She can also be not all in favour of Assad at this second. “We’ll get him, but we should focus on the prisoners now, not the perpetrator. These thoughts only lead to revenge.” Yasmina is definite that it’s going to take numerous time to come back to phrases with the struggling of the Syrian inhabitants. “I see the trauma in each and every one of us,” she says. “We’re only now allowing it to come to the surface.”

*Name modified by the editors