Syrians sing Islamist mottos at German Christmas markets
Date
12/16/2024 6:21:40 AM
(MENAFN) In recent days, large groups of Syrians in Germany have gathered at Christmas markets, celebrating the downfall of President Bashar Assad. Videos shared online show thousands of people marching through festive venues, waving Syrian flags and chanting slogans such as "Allahu Akbar" and "Bashar is gone, Syria is free!" These demonstrations have taken place in cities including Stuttgart, Dresden, Mannheim, and Karlsruhe.
The protests come after a dramatic shift in Syria's Political landscape. In November, the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led an offensive that routed Assad's forces, seizing major cities like Damascus. Assad fled to Russia, where he was granted asylum. As Syrian opposition groups celebrate, their slogans—though peaceful—have raised concerns among German authorities, particularly the chanting of "Allahu Akbar," which in certain contexts can be linked to extreme Islamism.
German authorities are now reviewing the footage of these demonstrations, assessing whether any of the slogans contain extremist messages. They are also concerned that similar rallies could occur again, potentially escalating tensions.
Some local lawmakers have condemned the use of Christmas markets for political expression, with Andrea Lindholz calling it “completely unacceptable” to mix Islamist slogans with the holiday setting. Extremism expert Ahmad Mansour also criticized the protests, calling them "disrespectful and tasteless."
The events have led to further scrutiny of Syria-related issues in Germany, where nearly 900,000 Syrian nationals reside. Following these incidents, Germany has paused processing asylum applications from Syrians, pending an evaluation of the situation in Syria.
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