Syrian citizens in the capital Ankara and in many other Major Turkish cities today celebrated the fall of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, BTA reported.
Syrian rebels announced the ouster of Assad after taking control of Damascus today, ending the rule of the Assad family after more than 13 years of civil war.
However, a large part of Turkish citizens are worried about the spontaneous processions of Syrian refugees on the streets of the cities. Turkish citizens are massively sharing their anxiety on social networks.
A large procession of celebrating Syrians was organized today in the Ankara municipality of Altındag, informed the electronic edition of the city. “Anadolu Gazete“.
The celebrants gathered in the Ender neighborhood (in the Altendag district), raising various slogans and Syrian flags.
Residents of the neighborhood who witnessed the festivities filmed the event with their phone cameras and shared the footage on social networks. The videos, which in a short time reached a wide audience, became among the most discussed topics on social networks, and it is clear that the reactions of Turkish citizens are mixed.
While some citizens welcomed the celebrations, others strongly criticized the situation and expressed their reactions on social media.
„We are concerned by the fact that these celebrations are taking place on the streets of Turkey. They are here because of the situation in their own country, but it is not right to organize such events here”, wrote a user on a social network.
At the same time, other users pointed out that Syrians are celebrating with the hope of a real end to the years-long war.
Celebrations of the Syrians were organized today throughout Turkey, including in the metropolis of Istanbul, in Bursa, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Eskişehir, Adana, Konya, Kayseri, Kilis, Şanlıurfa, informs in. “Hurriet“.
One of the largest demonstrations of celebrating Syrians was organized in Kahramanmarash, which was the epicenter of the devastating earthquakes on February 6. Thousands of Syrians participated in the festive procession in Kahramanmarash, which is located not far from the border with Syria, the publication states.
The police took increased security measures in the areas of the demonstrations.
Millions of Syrians have arrived in Turkey since the civil war that began in Syria in 2011
On November 20, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that the number of Syrians in Turkey had decreased to 2,935,742.
Turkey has granted temporary protection status to Syrians seeking asylum on its territory since the start of the war in Syria in 2011. In addition to them, Syrians with temporary residence permits live in Turkey, as well as unregistered Syrians who are considered illegal immigrants.
According to opposition data, the number of immigrants in Turkey is over 10 million people, most of whom are Syrians and Afghans.