Protests erupt in Christian areas of Damascus after Christmas tree burned
đź”´’We demand the rights of Christians!’ Damascus erupts after a Christmas tree in Suqaylabiyah is burned by Islamist fighters.
📌Christians march in Damascus, carrying crosses and chanting for their… pic.twitter.com/gZ8BoMF9II
— MedyaNews (@1MedyaNews) December 24, 2024
Hundreds of demonstrators rallied through Christian neighbourhoods in Damascus early Tuesday, decrying the burning of a Christmas tree in al-Suqaylabiyah, a Christian-majority town near Hama, Syria. The protests erupted after a widely circulated video showed masked fighters torching the tree, heightening concerns about religious tolerance under Syria’s new Islamist-led government.
Marchers chanted “We demand the rights of Christians” as they made their way to the Greek Orthodox patriarchate in the Bab Sharqi district of Damascus. Some carried wooden crosses, while others displayed the Syrian independence flag. The demonstrators criticised increasing sectarian tensions and expressed fears for their community’s safety.
Georges, a protester, told AFP: “If we’re not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don’t belong here any more.”
The incident in Suqaylabiyah follows the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime by an Islamist coalition earlier this month. Assad, who styled himself as a protector of Syria’s minorities, was overthrown on December 8 after years of conflict. The dominant group in the new leadership, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), pledged to safeguard minorities, raising questions about the extent of its control over extremist factions.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the perpetrators of the tree-burning were members of Ansar al-Tawhid, a foreign Islamist group. In a video addressing the local community, a cleric from HTS denounced the act, asserting that the fighters were not Syrian and promising they would face consequences. “The tree will be restored and lit up by tomorrow morning,” he vowed—a promise that was fulfilled.
The tree-burning incident has become a litmus test for HTS’s ability to maintain order and uphold its assurances of protecting minority communities. HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa has called for unifying armed factions under the Ministry of Defence to consolidate authority.
Meanwhile, solidarity marches broke out in nearby Sahnaya, where Druze and Christian residents displayed weapons in support of the Suqaylabiyah community.
The protests in Damascus reflect broader anxieties about sectarian tensions in post-Assad Syria. Christians, a significant minority, fear marginalisation as Islamist factions consolidate power.
Adding to the uncertainty, Turkey’s interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya, announced that over 25,000 Syrian refugees had returned from Turkey in the two weeks since Assad’s fall. Ankara is engaging closely with the new Syrian authorities, aiming to facilitate more voluntary returns amidst ongoing negotiations.
While the Islamist coalition promises inclusivity, incidents like the tree-burning underscore the challenges of reconciling diverse religious and ethnic groups in a fractured society.
