“The burning of the Christmas tree in Syria provoked mass protests by Christians. Hundreds of Christians took to the streets of Damascus because of the burning of the Christmas tree in central Syria. Protesters demanded the rights of Christians and marched to the residence of the Orthodox Patriarchate.”, — write on: unn.ua
Transfers UNN with reference to the BBC.
A Christmas tree set on fire in western Syria caused outrage among representatives of the Christian population. According to eyewitnesses, hundreds of people protested the crime in the capital Damascus and other cities of the country on Monday evening.
“We demand the rights of Christians,” chanted the demonstrators, marching 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 networks showing masked people pouring an unidentified liquid over a Christmas tree the night before Christians in Syria were preparing to celebrate Christmas Eve. It is not clear whether they were trying to put out the fire or helped it spread.
A video of the aftermath shows a cleric from the ruling HTS rebel group assuring a crowd gathered in Suqaylabiya (a town near Hama in central Syria) that the tree would be repaired by morning.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, the perpetrators could be fighters from the jihadist group “Ansar al-Tawheed”.
We will remind
The US sent diplomats to Syria for the first time in 10 years after the overthrow of Assad. Diplomats should discuss the principles of the transition period and the fate of the missing Americans.
A UN investigative team visited Damascus for the first time since 2016 to investigate war crimes committed by the Assad regime. The new Syrian authorities have agreed to cooperate and assist in gathering evidence.
The Syrian High Command has appointed two new ministers from the opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Asaad Hassan al-Shibani headed the Foreign Ministry, and Marhaf Abu Kasra became the Minister of Defense.