Damascus: Hundreds of Damascus University students trampled a statue of one of Syria’s former leaders on Sunday, expressing jubilation as they returned to class a week after rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad .

“The atmosphere is amazing. Everyone is happy. Look how happy people are,” said Rinad Abdallah, 18, a medical student.

In front of her was a large statue of Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria after seizing power in a bloodless military coup in 1970, vandalized and destroyed.

“I have an old photo where I pose in front of the statue. Now I’m going to pose in the same place, but without the statue,” Abdallah says happily.

Students drag a toppled statue of the late President Hafez al-Assad into the street during a rally near the Damascus University campus in the Syrian capital on December 15, 2024. Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP.

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 war civilian in Syria.

Ali Allaham, dean of the faculty of arts, told AFP that classes had resumed on Sunday with around 80% of staff and “a large number” of students.

In the courtyard, hundreds of students gathered, chanting revolutionary slogans and brandishing the three-star independence flag, the symbol of the uprising that began in 2011.

“We have waited a very long time for this moment,” said Yasmine Shehab, 29, an English literature student.

From now on, “there is no longer this statue which oppressed us with its presence,” she said.

“We finally feel free! We can finally say what we think without fear,” Shehab added, expressing confidence in Syria’s future.

“There will be a place for all communities moving forward, hand in hand,” she said.

Schoolchildren returning

In a spontaneous rally, thousands of students marched toward the central Umayyad Square, where Syrians have been celebrating Assad’s fall for days.

Transitional government leader Mohammad al-Bashir said this week that the coalition led by Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham would “guarantee the rights of all people and sects in Syria,” a multi-ethnic country. and multi-faith.

A driver waves the victory sign as students drag the statue of late President Hafez al-Assad during a rally near the Damascus University campus in the Syrian capital December 15, 2024. Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP.

School students, some in uniform, also returned to class on Sunday for the first time since Assad’s ouster.

On the way to school, a group of girls held up the “V” for victory sign.

One of them had drawn a three-star flag on her cheek, while others waved it proudly in the air.

A woman, with an opposition flag painted on her face, reacts as members of the Syrian community and supporters gather to celebrate the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the face of an offensive by Islamist-led rebels , in Paris on December 8. , 2024. Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP.

Raghida Ghosn, 56, a mother of three, said that “the school has asked us to send middle and high school students back to class. The youngest will return in two days.”

In one classroom, a large three-star flag now hangs on the wall – an unthinkable sight in government-controlled areas under Assad’s rule.

A school employee said that “no more than 30 percent” of schoolchildren were back in class on Sunday, but that “these numbers will gradually increase.”

Business life also resumed, with many people going to work normally early on Sunday, the first day of the work week in Syria.

An AFP journalist saw around ten people queuing in front of a bakery in the Rokn-Eddine district.

Street vendors selling cans of gasoline also plied their trade, in a country hit by fuel shortages and where power cuts remain frequent, some lasting up to 20 hours a day in certain regions.