Analysts suggest the deliberate use of Christian venues for demonstrations is “disrespectful”
Masses of Syrians celebrating the ousting of President Bashar Assad have been seen at Christmas markets across Germany over the past week. Videos posted online show thousands marching through the festive venues waving Syrian flags and chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and ‘Bashar is gone, Syria is free!’
The situation in Syria rapidly deteriorated in November when militants led by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive that routed the country’s troops, taking over major cities, including Damascus. After the collapse of Assad’s military, the armed opposition seized power and he was forced to flee to Russia, where he was granted political asylum.
According to German media, groups of Syrian opposition supporters have taken over Christmas markets throughout the country since the previous weekend. They were spotted in Stuttgart, Dresden, Baden-Württemberg, Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Konstanz and several other cities. While the demonstrations have been peaceful, some slogans being chanted have sparked worry among security experts. For instance, the phrase ‘Allahu Akbar,’ which roughly translates into ‘God is Great,’ is a standard greeting for Muslims but, in certain contexts, is also associated with extreme Islamism.
Footage from the demonstrations posted online is currently being evaluated by the German police, Bild reported on Saturday, with the chants to be translated into German and assessed by law enforcement officials to determine whether they contain extremist ideas.
Authorities also reportedly fear that the rallies may recur this weekend and potentially lead to violence.
“Together with many Syrians in Germany, we are happy that Assad’s unjust regime has come to an end [but]chanting Islamist slogans is completely unacceptable, especially in the context of a Christmas market,” lawmaker Andrea Lindholz told the news outlet, adding that “anyone who flees to a democratic constitutional state but then glorifies Islamism should leave our country.” Extremism expert Ahmad Mansour stated that “deliberately using Christmas markets for demonstrations is disrespectful and tasteless,” noting that there are other ways to celebrate what the demonstrators deem “the end of a tyrant” without “stirring up cultural tensions.”
Germany’s federal minister of the interior Nancy Faeser previously warned that Christmas markets pose a heightened security risk, as they are an “ideologically suitable target for Islamist-motivated” terror attacks.
READ MORE: EU countries suspend asylum applications from Syrians – Der Spiegel
Around 900,000 Syrian nationals currently live in Germany, according to data from the Interior Ministry and the Federal Employment Agency. The Syrian diaspora in Germany is the third largest in the world, according to the UNHCR, the UN’s refugee organization. However, earlier this week, Berlin stopped processing refugee applications from Syrian nationals, pending an assessment of the security situation in the country. The move will likely affect some 47,000 pending applications.
