19/12/2020 Ten Years of Arabellion: “I was in contact with an IS fighter for a year. Then he’s dead.” It is the tenth anniversary of the start of the "Arab Spring". A seemingly distant revolution that suddenly came very close. As Islamic State (IS) terror and the refugee crisis have shown, Germany and the Middle East are much intertwined. Our reporter was always there – he saw people hope and celebrate, torture and die. This article was originally published in German by Die Welt on 16 December 2020. The original can be found here . Transalted by Syriacpress By Alfred Hackensberger Correspondent for Die Welt I. How it started – Tunisia 2011 The evening airplane from Madrid to Tunis is almost empty. A Tunisian lawyer and his wife sit in business class. The couple boarded the plane a little tipsy and continued to drink during the flight. They have something to celebrate. The day before, Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled the co...
Alfred Hackensberger