Thousands of Christians in the Syrian capital of Damascus protested regarding the burning down of a large Christmas tree in the town of Al-Suqalabiyah, located near the city of Hama.
This incident occurred on Monday, just weeks after the fall of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad. The demonstrations began Monday night following the emergence of a video on social media showing hooded men dousing the Christmas tree with flammable liquid and setting it ablaze.
The arson incident has heightened concerns about the conditions faced by Christians and other minorities under the control of rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group that played a significant role in toppling Assad.
Despite HTS leaders' assurances that they would protect religious minorities, many Christians remain wary. HTS is recognized as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
According to AFP, protesters in Damascus’ Christian neighborhoods chanted, “We demand the rights of Christians.” They expressed their right to religious freedom, stating, “If we're not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don't belong here anymore.”
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the United Kingdom, reported that the perpetrators of the Christmas tree burning were foreigners from the Islamist group Ansar al-Tawhid. HTS reported that foreign fighters have been detained in connection with the incident.
According to NBC News, Videos circulating online showed demonstrators chanting, “Raise your cross, raise it!” and “We are with you to death, Suqalabiyah!" Another video obtained by The Washington Post depicted protesters holding wooden crosses and chanting, “With blood and soul, we sacrifice for Jesus.”
Talal Abdullah, a former member of the Syrian National Council from Al-Suqaylabiyah, told NBC News that HTS officials condemned the tree burning, stating that it was unacceptable and promising to punish those responsible.
In a bid to persuade countries to lift their terrorism designations and sanctions against HTS, Syria's de facto new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has sought to present his faction as inclusive of all religious and ethnic groups. On Tuesday, HTS announced that al-Sharaa and the heads of various rebel factions had merged their groups under the Syrian Ministry of Defense.
One faction likely to remain independent is the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, an important U.S. ally in the fight against Islamic extremism, which continues to battle the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army near the border with Turkey.
