Across Belgium, Syrians of Belgian heritage and refugees gathered to celebrate the fall of Bashar Assad in Damascus. In Antwerp, Ghent, Anderlecht and Sint-Joost-ten-Node hundreds of Syrians celebrated to mark the end of the Assad regime.
In Antwerp, hundreds of members of the Syrian community gathered on the Sint-Jansplein.
People behind the initiative requested permission for the event from the city authorities at the last-minute but it was immediately approved. Local police kept an eye on proceedings that passed without incident. Syrians were dancing, singing and flag waving for many hours.
Syrian flags also appeared on the Ledebergplein in Ghent. Many people joined in the singing of traditional songs, for which they would have been arrested in Assad's Syria. According to Ghent police, everything went peacefully.
The revellers, young and old, now hope for a better future, freedom and democracy for their homeland. Whether that will happen, the future will tell.
In Brussels, in the Anderlecht district of Kuregem, 600 people took to the streets to celebrate, according to mayor Fabrice Cumps. ‘The demonstration is festive at the moment, but the police fear that other groups will join the gathering in the evening and cause problems,’ he noted on Sunday.
At the Atomium in the Brussels district of Laken, some 70 Syrians also gathered to celebrate the fall of Bashar Assad's Syrian regime on Sunday.