Bashar al-Assad is out of power after a brutal 24-year reign over Syria, and his many haters are rubbing it in his face. The Assad family ruled from 1970 with a policy of crushing public dissent and winning elections with a highly suspicious amount of votes, leading many to wonder whether it would ever end.
Bashar fled Syria for Moscow on Sunday after his forces were overrun during a surprise offensive by the opposition, ending a 13-year civil war. His prisons are currently being emptied as his international haters post triumphant memes.
The 'Assad Must Go' meme
Bashar al-Assad has been the subject of a meme that started around 2016 and exemplified the sentiment that the family might never fall from power. Former President Barack Obama first used the phrase "Assad must go" in an official capacity in 2011, and his supporters mocked this as his second term approached its end.
On May 6, 2016, Twitter user @iadtawil posted a graphic showing Obama among nine other anti-Assad world leaders who had failed to outlast Bashar's rule. According to Know Your Meme, a comic later emerged showing any individual declaring "Assad must go" followed by a photo of Bashar with his finger on his ear, then the first person leaving office, then Bashar laughing.
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RIP to Assad Won't Go
Now that he has, indeed, gone, the Assad Must Go meme is officially dead. Social media users have remixed the original with photos of Bashar looking rather stressed and photos of his haters either laughing or just looking like they're waiting for him to leave. Others are referencing or mourning the original.
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Those who assumed that President Joe Biden would be added to the list of Assad Must Go victims may now be feeling a tad silly for jumping the gun. Meanwhile, Biden supporters are doing perhaps their final victory lap, though we hesitate to jump any guns ourselves.
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More Bashar al-Assad memes
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- Scumbag President vs. Completely Wrong: The election in memes
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