Protests broke out in Christian-majority areas of Damascus on Tuesday in response to the burning of a Christmas tree in the town of Suqaylabiyah, near Hama. Hundreds of demonstrators marched through the capital, chanting “We demand the rights of Christians” as they made their way to the headquarters of the Orthodox Patriarchate in Bab Sharqi.
The protests come after an armed coalition led by Islamists recently overthrew the government of Bashar al-Assad, who had previously portrayed himself as a protector of minorities in Syria. The burning of the Christmas tree, captured in a video that circulated on social media, sparked outrage among Christians.
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The attackers were reportedly fighters from the Islamist group Ansar al-Tawhid, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A religious leader from the victorious militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) condemned the incident, promising that those responsible would be punished and that the tree would be restored.
HTS, rooted in Al-Qaeda and supported by Turkey, has pledged to protect minorities in the areas it controls, despite the growing tensions between sectarian groups following the recent regime shift.
