Hundreds of people protested in Christian areas of Damascus on Tuesday after a Christmas tree was burned near Hama in central Syria. The protesters marched towards the Orthodox Patriarchate, chanting for the rights of Christians. The protests came after an Islamist-led coalition toppled President Bashar al-Assadβs government, which had portrayed itself as a protector of religious minorities.
A protester named Georges said he was protesting against the unfair treatment of Christians. He expressed that if they couldn’t practice their Christian faith in Syria, they no longer felt they belonged there.
The protests were sparked by a video showing hooded fighters setting fire to a Christmas tree in the town of Suqaylabiyah. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the fighters were from the Islamist group Ansar al-Tawhid. In another video, a leader from the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) promised that those responsible would be punished and that the tree would be replaced by the next day. HTS, backed by Turkey and linked to Al-Qaeda, has promised to protect minorities following its recent victory over Assad’s forces.
