Protests erupt in Syria after Christmas tree set alight

Protests have broken out over the burning of a Christmas tree in Syria, prompting calls for the new Islamist authorities to take steps to protect minorities.

A video posted on social media showed a tree burning in the main square of the predominantly Christian town of Suqaylabiyah in central Syria, with masked men standing around.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main Islamist group that led the uprising that toppled President Bashar al-Assad, said foreign fighters had been detained over the incident.

HTS representatives promised to protect the rights and freedoms of religious and ethnic minorities in Syria.

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across the country through Suqaylabiyah in Damascus and Hama province.

Two masked warriors appeared in a video on social media setting fire to the Christmas tree the night before Christians in Syria prepared to celebrate Christmas Eve.

Footage from the aftermath showed a religious figure from the ruling HTS rebel group assuring the crowd gathered in Suqaylabiyah that the tree would be repaired before morning.

The man then held up a cross as a sign of solidarity; This is something Islamic conservatives would not do.

More protesters took to the streets on Tuesday due to an arson attack.

Some people in the Kassa district of Damascus chanted slogans against foreign fighters in Syria.

“Syria is free, non-Syrians must leave,” they said, referring to the foreign fighters who HTS said were behind the attack.

In the Bab Touma neighborhood of Damascus, protesters carried crosses and Syrian flags and chanted slogans: “We will sacrifice our souls for our cross.”

“If we are not allowed to practice our Christian faith in our country as we used to, then we no longer belong here,” a protester named Georges told the AFP news agency.

Syria is home to many ethnic and religious groups, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Christians, Druze, Alawite Shiites and Arab Sunnis, the last of whom constitute the majority of the Muslim population.

Just over two weeks ago, Bashar al-Assad’s presidency fell to rebel forces, ending more than 50 years of rule by the Assad family.

It is not yet known how the HTS group will govern Syria.

HTS began as a jihadist group that embraced violence to achieve its goal of establishing a state governed by Islamic law (Sharia), but in recent years it has adopted a more pragmatic, less uncompromising approach.

As fighters marched into Damascus earlier this month, their leaders were talking about building a Syria for all Syrians.

On Tuesday, new authorities announced that leader Ahmed al-Shara had reached an agreement “with revolutionary groups to disband all groups and unite them under the umbrella of the Ministry of Defense,” according to the Sanaa news agency.

Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said the ministry would be restructured to include rebel fighters.

Although the statement mentioned “all groups”, it was not clear exactly which groups were involved in the merger.

There are numerous armed groups in Syria, some opposed to HTS and others with uncertain relations at best.

HTS continues to be designated a terrorist organization by the UN, US, EU and UK, but there are signs that a diplomatic shift may be on the way.

on friday, US gives up $10m (£7.9m) prize Following talks between senior diplomats and representatives from the group, HTS leader Ahmed al-Shara made a statement.

The USA continues its military presence in Syria. In the statement made on Friday, it was stated that an air strike was carried out in the northern city of Deir ez-Zor and two members of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group were killed.

The presence of foreign fighters, Islamic extremists and even regime supporters who want to cause insecurity and attack minorities to shake the stability of the country is the biggest challenge that the new Islamic leadership will face.