Thousands protest in Syria after Christmas tree set on fire
Thousands of people took to the streets in Christian neighbourhoods of the Syrian capital Damascus to demand protection for religious minorities
Protests have erupted in Christian neighbourhoods of the Syrian capital Damascus after a Christmas tree was set on fire.
A video showing unidentified men setting fire to a publicly displayed Christmas tree in the Christian-majority town of Suqaylabiyah, near the city of Hama, emerged online on Tuesday, prompting the protests.
It’s unclear who set the tree on fire but a video surfaced of a rebel standing next to Christian priests vowing to punish the perpetrators.
“Next morning you will see the tree completely restored,” the unidentified rebel told a protesting group next to the burnt Christmas tree.
The protest is the first to be held by Christians since rebels led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took the capital on December 8 and toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad after a lightning offensive.
Syria’s Christians now join those in Lebanon and Palestinian territories celebrating Christmas amid great uncertainty and fear in the region.
The protesters in the capital marched towards churches to demand better protection for Christians in the country, George, a 24-year-old Catholic resident of Damascus, who chose to give only his first name to speak freely, told ITV News' US partner CNN.
When Islamist rebels swept through Syria’s second-largest city in an operation that would eventually culminate in the ousting of the brutal Assad regime, Christians were given assurances that their churches and property would remain protected.
Under Assad, Christians were allowed to celebrate their holidays and practice their rituals but like all Syrians faced tyrannical limitations on freedom of speech and political activity.
In control of most of Syria now is the Islamist armed rebel group HTS, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed Al Jolani – a man who had established al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria before rebranding his group in 2016.Al-Sharaa has maintained that his group will protect minorities and religious sects of Syria but has yet to call specifically for the protection of Christians ahead of the Christmas celebrations.
The HTS-led government said that Wednesday (December 25) and Thursday (December 26) will be a public holiday.
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
Residents of the Syrian capital Damascus told CNN that HTS has not imposed any limitations on celebrations or prayers this year, but Christians still fear that non-HTS rogue armed elements could attack them.
“Hayat Tahrir Al Sham have not announced anything on stopping our celebrations… but there are Christians who don’t want to go out to celebrate because they fear that they might get attacked from rogue armed individuals,” George said.
Christmas trees and other festive decorations are up across Christian neighbourhoods of Damascus, George said, but people are scaling back their celebrations and imposing their own restrictions amid an absence of communication from HTS.
Hilda Haskour, a 50-year-old Aleppo resident who identifies as Syriac Catholic, is preparing to celebrate Christmas but says there’s still worry among Christians.
“We just want to live in peace and safety, we are not asking for much…there is fear, people are tired,” Haskour said.
Syria is home to many religious groups, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Christians, Druze, Alawite Shia and Arab Sunnis.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...