Burning of Christmas tree in Syria provokes massive Christian protests
Kyiv • UNN
Hundreds of Christians took to the streets of Damascus over the burning of a Christmas tree in central Syria. The protesters demanded the rights of Christians and marched to the residence of the Orthodox Patriarchate.
Syrian Christians demonstrate in Damascus over the burning of a Christmas tree. The protest is related to the burning of a Christmas tree in central Syria.
Transmits to UNN with reference to the BBC.
The burning of a Christmas tree in western Syria has caused outrage among the Christian population. According to eyewitnesses, on Monday evening, hundreds of people protested against the crime in the capital Damascus and other cities of the country.
“We demand the rights of Christians,” the demonstrators chanted as they marched through the streets of the capital to the residence of the Orthodox Patriarchate.
Some of them carried wooden crosses, others raised the three-star flag of Syrian independence, which was adopted by the new rulers in Damascus.
Context
Footage appeared on social media showing masked men pouring an unidentified liquid on a Christmas tree in the evening before Christians in Syria were preparing to celebrate Christmas Eve. It is unclear whether they were trying to extinguish the fire or contributed to its spread.
In the video of the aftermath, a cleric from the ruling rebel group HTS can be seen assuring the crowd gathered in Suqailabiya, a town near Hama in central Syria, that the tree would be repaired by morning.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the perpetrators could be militants from the Ansar al-Tawhid jihadist group.
Recall
The US sent diplomats to Syria for the first time in 10 years after Assad's ouster. The diplomats are to discuss the principles of transition and the fate of missing Americans.
The UN investigation team visited Damascus for the first time since 2016 to investigate war crimes committed by the Assad regime. The new Syrian government has agreed to cooperate and help collect evidence.
Syria's General Command appointed two new ministers from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham opposition group. Asaad Hassan al-Shibani became the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Markhaf Abu Qasra became the Minister of Defense.
