A tumultuous year for Syria ended on a sour note with protests after images and videos circulated of the burning of a Christmas tree in a Christian-majority town near Damascus.
News of the burning Christmas tree generated headlines around the world as the Islamist faction that toppled ex-President Bashar al-Assad aims to restore peace in the nation. Middle East news outlet The National shared a certified vid on X, which can be seen below.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets around Syria including in the capital Damascus demanding protection for religious minorities following the Christmas tree burning, which took place in the city of Hama around 200 km north of Damascus last night.
The BBC reported that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that toppled the despotic al-Assad earlier this month, has said the men responsible for the arson were foreign fighters and have been detained while the tree will be swiftly repaired in a bid for calm.
There are an estimated 300,000 Christians in Syria, which represents around 2.5% to 3% of the population. Sunni Muslims comprise the largest group, around three quarters of the population.
HTS remains a designated terrorist organization in the U.S., EU and UK, but last Friday the U.S. scrapped a $10M bounty on the head of its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is now Syria’s de facto leader. HTS overthrew al-Assad’s regime dramatically earlier this month, ending more than two decades of terror as thousands of political prisoners were freed. Al-Assad and family have been forced to seek refuge in Russia.