Thousands of Syrians living in Germany took to the streets on Sunday to celebrate the ousting of the tyrannical (now former) President Bashar Al-Assad. Similar scenes played out in Sweden and in the UK, where refugees in London vowed to return to their homeland.
While some Syrians in Europe may indeed aspire to go back home, some European officials are now beginning to dread the broader state of affairs. Could the movement taking control in Syria—led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a proscribed jihadist group with past links to Islamic State and Al Qaeda—push more people into leaving the Arab nation?
The Iraqi Christian Foundation shared footage on Sunday which it said showed those behind the fall of Assad announcing the implementation of Sharia (or Islamic) Law outside Aleppo’s Judicial Palace, commenting: “May God help the Christians of Syria and destroy all who helped make this happen!”
France’s Rassemblement National party leader Jordan Bardella later expressed his fear that Europe “will pay the consequences of this takeover by Islamic fundamentalists through significant migratory flows.” The MEP added that the potential movement of Christians away from Syria could also see “terrorists … slip in” to Europe.
In the UK, writer and think tank staffer Sam Bidwell added that while “nobody knows what’s next for Syria,” the priority for European leaders “must be preventing another 2015-style refugee crisis.”
Given the mass migration of the past few years, another wave of asylum seekers from the Middle East could push the continent to breaking point.
Some countries have already declared that they will not accept any further asylum claims from Syria until there is more clarity on the country’s political future. Requests will be put on hold in Germany and Austria, where tens of thousands of claims are already pending.
Sweden’s second-largest party, the Sweden Democrats, said it will recommend that residency permits for Syrian refugees already granted asylum be reviewed in light of the new situation.
London’s Daily Telegraph cited “many experts” who say that any “renewed exodus of Syrians would be smaller than a decade ago,” given that millions have already fled the country and very few have returned.
