Protests erupt in Syria following Christmas tree burning
Christians in Suqaylabiyah and Damascus have demonstrated following an incident on Monday where Islamist fighters set a Christmas tree ablaze. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Christians in Syria are expressing increasing fear of persecution in the wake of the recent fall of Bashar Assad's government, prompting protests in the streets of Suqaylabiyah. This unrest was sparked by an incident where a group of Islamist fighters set fire to a Christmas tree in the town, leading local residents to perceive the act as a targeted assault on their community and religious identity.
Islamist authorities in Damascus have attributed the arson to foreign jihadist elements active in the area and have committed to investigating the matter to bring those responsible to justice.
A video that emerged online displayed masked men igniting a fire at the base of the Christmas tree, which stood prominently at a roundabout in this majority-Christian town. There are unconfirmed allegations that these individuals prevented locals from extinguishing the flames.
Shortly afterward, another video surfaced showing an unidentified rebel alongside a Christian priest at the site of the tree, asserting that it would be “completely restored” by Christmas Eve. This rebel asserted that eight foreign fighters were involved in the incident and that they had since been apprehended.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organization aligned with the rebels, reported that those responsible were foreigners associated with the Ansar al Tawhid Islamist group.
Despite the pledge to restore the tree, hundreds of Christians took to the streets in Suqaylabiyah and Damascus on the following days. One demonstrator expressed to AFP, “If we’re not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don’t belong here anymore.”
In Damascus, crowds chanted, “Syria is free, non-Syrians should leave,” a reference to the foreign jihadists who had bolstered rebel ranks during recent assaults on the capital.
Earlier, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadists initiated a surprise offensive in northern Syrian provinces, including Idlib and Aleppo. Following the rapid fall of Aleppo, they advanced south toward Damascus, taking control of Suqaylabiyah, Hama, and Homs before teaming up with US-armed Free Syrian Army militants for a final assault on the capital.
As rebel forces surged into the city’s outskirts, former President Bashar Assad fled to Russia, where he has received asylum.
During Assad's tenure, Christians and other religious minorities were permitted to practice their faith openly. With HTS now in control, many Christians fear potential persecution.
HTS was established in 2017 through the merger of Jhabat al-Nusra, a Syrian offshoot of Al-Qaeda, with other Islamist factions. Despite the leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani's history of promoting violent Islamism, he has assured that the rights of Syria’s minorities will be respected. However, he has not explicitly committed to protecting Christians.
A protester in Damascus remarked to AFP, “[HTS] 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.”
Ramin Sohrabi for TROIB News
Islamist authorities in Damascus have attributed the arson to foreign jihadist elements active in the area and have committed to investigating the matter to bring those responsible to justice.
A video that emerged online displayed masked men igniting a fire at the base of the Christmas tree, which stood prominently at a roundabout in this majority-Christian town. There are unconfirmed allegations that these individuals prevented locals from extinguishing the flames.
Shortly afterward, another video surfaced showing an unidentified rebel alongside a Christian priest at the site of the tree, asserting that it would be “completely restored” by Christmas Eve. This rebel asserted that eight foreign fighters were involved in the incident and that they had since been apprehended.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organization aligned with the rebels, reported that those responsible were foreigners associated with the Ansar al Tawhid Islamist group.
Despite the pledge to restore the tree, hundreds of Christians took to the streets in Suqaylabiyah and Damascus on the following days. One demonstrator expressed to AFP, “If we’re not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don’t belong here anymore.”
In Damascus, crowds chanted, “Syria is free, non-Syrians should leave,” a reference to the foreign jihadists who had bolstered rebel ranks during recent assaults on the capital.
Earlier, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadists initiated a surprise offensive in northern Syrian provinces, including Idlib and Aleppo. Following the rapid fall of Aleppo, they advanced south toward Damascus, taking control of Suqaylabiyah, Hama, and Homs before teaming up with US-armed Free Syrian Army militants for a final assault on the capital.
As rebel forces surged into the city’s outskirts, former President Bashar Assad fled to Russia, where he has received asylum.
During Assad's tenure, Christians and other religious minorities were permitted to practice their faith openly. With HTS now in control, many Christians fear potential persecution.
HTS was established in 2017 through the merger of Jhabat al-Nusra, a Syrian offshoot of Al-Qaeda, with other Islamist factions. Despite the leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani's history of promoting violent Islamism, he has assured that the rights of Syria’s minorities will be respected. However, he has not explicitly committed to protecting Christians.
A protester in Damascus remarked to AFP, “[HTS] 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.”
Ramin Sohrabi for TROIB News
