The streets of downtown Windsor echoed with honking horns over the weekend as members of the city’s Syrian community celebrated major political developments in their homeland.
The celebrations followed news that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled the country as rebel forces closed in on the capital, Damascus, after 13 years of civil war.
The conflict forced millions of Syrians to flee their homes — including more than 1,300 who resettled in Windsor.
“We freed Syria,” one celebrant declared during a rally by the Detroit River.
“We got rid of the Assad regime.”
The rallies began Saturday afternoon, continuing late into the evening and picking up again on Sunday.Members of the Syrian community celebrated in Windsor, Ont., on Sunday, Dec. 8. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)
People waved Syrian flags, cheered, prayed and honked car horns, celebrating what they see as the liberation of their home country — and hope for a chance to return after years of exile.
“We’ve been trying to free …