Fears for Christians in Syria as Christmas tree is burned down in first major sign the religious minority will be targeted after the fall of Assad - prompting protests in Damascus
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The burning of a Christmas tree by gunmen in the Syrian city of Hama has fuelled fears within the country's Christian community that they will be targeted by Islamist factions under the new administration. The ousting of Bashar al-Assad's brutal regime by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist rebel group which was previously aligned with al-Qaeda, has led to anxiety over what the future holds for Christians and other minority groups in the country.
![[Reports stated that eight gunmen were behind the torching, with HTS declaring that they were 'not Syrian']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/08/93450479-14223765-image-a-11_1735028443390.jpg)
HTS quickly responded to the shocking videos last night, with a religious leader from the group telling residents that those who torched the tree were 'not Syrian' and promising they would be punished. 'The tree will be restored and lit up by tomorrow morning', he said, with local media reporting that the work was completed as promised.
![[Hundreds gathered in Damascus for the protests last night]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/08/93450473-14223765-image-a-18_1735028609877.jpg)
The parish priest in the Christian-majority town of Suqaylabiyah also reportedly said that the culprits were eight non-Syrian nationals who decided to set fire to the Christmas tree two days after it was lit. Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in Christian areas of Damascus overnight to protest the burning of the tree hours before Christmas Eve.
![[Christians took to the streets in protest following the torching of the tree]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/08/93450469-14223765-image-a-17_1735028544149.jpg)
'We demand the rights of Christians,' protesters chanted as they marched through the Syrian capital towards the headquarters of the Orthodox Patriarchate, while many staged a sit-in at the city's Mariamite Cathedral. The protests come just over two weeks after an armed coalition toppled dictator Assad, who ruled the Sunni-majority country with an iron fist for 24 years, with his ousting bringing in a new period of uncertainty for Syrians.
![[Christian worshippers stage a sit-in inside the Mariamite Church in Damascus early on December 24, 2024]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/08/93450547-14223765-image-a-19_1735028764899.jpg)
