Hundreds of students at Damascus University trampled a statue of one of Syria’s former rulers on Sunday, cheering as they returned to class a week after rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad.
“The atmosphere is amazing. Everyone is happy – look how happy people are,” said medical student Rinad Abdallah, 18.
In front of him stood a huge statue of Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria after taking power in a bloodless war in 1970, destroyed and brought down.
“I have an old picture where I am putting in front of the statue. Now, I will go to the same place, but without the statue,” Abdallah said happily.
Bashar al-Assad ruled from the death of his father Hafez in 2000 until last week when rebels captured the capital Damascus, more than 13 years after his crackdown on pro-democracy protests sparked Syria’s civil war.
Ali Allaham, head of the technical department, told AFP that courses resumed on Sunday with about 80 percent of staff and “a large number” of students.
In the courtyard, hundreds of students gathered, chanting revolutionary slogans and displaying a flag with the three stars of independence, a symbol of the violence that began in 2011.
“We waited a long time for this moment,” said Yasmine Shehab, 29, an English literature student.
Now, “there is no longer this statue that was oppressing us with its presence”, he said.
“We will feel free! We can finally say what we think without fear,” added Shehab, expressing confidence in the future of Syria.
“There will be a place for all the citizens who will go forward, hand in hand,” he said.
– The school children are back –
In a spontaneous rally, thousands of students marched to the center of Ummayad Square, where Syrians have been celebrating the fall of Assad for days.
The head of the coalition government, Mohammad al-Bashir, said this week that the coalition led by the Islamic revolutionary group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, “will guarantee the rights of all people and all groups in Syria”, a multi-ethnic and confessional country.
School students also, some in uniform, returned to class on Sunday for the first time since Assad was ousted.
On their way to school, a group of girls showed a “V” sign of victory. One had drawn a three-star flag on his cheek, while others proudly held the other up.
Mother of three Raghida Ghosn, 56, said “the school has asked us to send middle and high school students to class. The younger ones will return in two days”.
Inside the classroom, a large three-star flag now hangs on the wall — an unlikely sight in government-held areas during Assad’s iron rule.
An employee at one school said that “no more than 30 percent” of school children returned to class on Sunday, but that “these numbers will gradually increase”.
Business life has resumed, with many people going to work as usual starting on Sunday, the first day of the working week in Syria.
An AFP reporter saw about a dozen people standing outside a bike park in Rokn-Eddine district.
Street vendors selling petrol cans have also been selling, in a country facing a fuel shortage and where power outages are still a problem, with some areas being cut off for up to 20 hours a day.
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