Syrians bring back independence flag with Assad's ouster

With the fall of president Bashar al-Assad, the independence-era flag adopted by activists and rebels during the 2011 revolt has replaced the official flag on streets, institutions and homes in Syria and beyond.

The red, green, black and white flag introduced under the Assad family's ruling Baath party remains Syria's official symbol.

But since the president's ouster on Sunday, it has been torn down in towns and cities around the country to mark the end of an era, with residents and armed men raising the three-starred flag of the revolution in its place.

- Unthinkable -

On Wednesday, rebel fighters held up their flag as they stood atop the charred and destroyed mausoleum of Hafez al-Assad, from whom Bashar al-Assad inherited power.

In the heart of the capital Damascus, a large group of people stood side by side to hold up a massive independence-era flag in Umayyad Square, a scene unthinkable just a week ago.

During the revolt, the mere accusation of buying cloth to sew together the independence flag landed activists in jail.

Now, it is ubiquitous in Syria, and people are no longer afraid of taking selfies with it, waving it on the street, or painting their elated faces in its colours.

The rebels who took down Assad also took control of state television.

One bulletin showed the clean-shaven anchor, impeccably dressed in a suit and tie, delivering the news with the image of an independence flag fluttering behind him.

In gatherings around the world, from London to Berlin, Paris and Istanbul, Syrians forced into exile have waved the flag of the revolt while singing songs for freedom and chanting slogans against Assad.

Hours after Assad fled the country over the weekend, many Syrian consulates and embassies around the world hoisted the flag of the revolution, including in Moscow, where the ousted ruler has fled according to media reports citing Russian officials.

- Two stars or three? -

The flag first adopted by the protesters who in 2011 took to the streets to call for freedom is green, white and black.

The green represents the early years of Muslim rule, white is for the Umayyad dynasty and black is for the Abbasids, who ruled over their empire from around 750 AD until the mid-13th century.

The three red stars across the middle represent the districts of Damascus, Aleppo and Deir Ezzor.

The official flag has two green stars.

To the activists who scorned the official flag, it represented the Assad era.

In their eyes, the revolt was not just against Bashar al-Assad but more broadly against dictatorship.

The independence-era flag of Syria was, to many, a symbol of a more hopeful time that predated the totalitarianism of Assad's father and son.

While the revolution flag is everywhere now, it remains to be seen whether the national anthem is maintained.

- Other flags -

As the 13-year civil war has dragged on, other flags have cast shadows over Syria.

One was the Islamic State group's, which once ran a jihadist proto-state ruling millions of people.

In 2014, it conducted an offensive from Syria into Iraq, massacring members of religious minorities, executing dissidents and journalists, and turning women and children into commodities to be bought and sold in marketplaces.

Syria's branch of Al-Qaeda, the Al-Nusra Front, also flew a flag of its own -- a black flag inscribed with the Islamic shahada, or profession of faith.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the offensive launched on November 27 that ended up forcing Assad from power, is rooted in Al-Nusra.

The HTS flag is white with a green band and a decorated central circle containing the shahada written against a green background.

On Tuesday, the rebel-designated prime minister was photographed with both the flag of the revolution and a white flag bearing the shahada in black behind him, drawing criticism from some activists.

Regional flags have also been adopted, with Syria's Kurds flying their red, white, green and yellow flag in areas they control.