Christians in Syria came out on the roads after a Christmas tree was set on fire in Suqaylabiyah on Christmas Eve.
According to BBC, hundreds and thousands of protestors came out on the street holding wooden cross signs on Tuesday, December 25, 2024, after a Christmas tree in the main square of Suqaylabiyah, a Christian-majority town in central Syria, was set on fire.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main Islamist faction in Syria, said foreign fighters had been arrested in connection with the incident.
HTS representative in a video widely shared on social media said, “This act was committed by people who are not Syrian, and they will be punished beyond your expectations. The Christmas tree will be fully restored by this evening."
The representative also promised to protect the rights of religious and ethnic minorities in Syria.
Moreover, protestors in Damascus chanted against the foreign fighters, saying, “Syria is free, non-Syrians should leave,” and “We will sacrifice our souls for our cross."
One of the demonstrators told AFP news agency, “If we're not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don't belong here anymore.”
Notably, Syria is a Muslim-majority country that is home to people from different ethnic and religious groups, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Christians, Druze, Alawite Shia, and Arab Sunnis.
