Syrian Christians protest to demand greater protections after Christmas tree burned

DAMASCUS — Scores of Syrian Christians protest in the capital Damascus demanding greater protections for their religious minority after a Christmas tree was set on fire in the city of Hama a day earlier.

Many of the insurgents who now rule Syria are jihadis, although Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of the main rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has renounced longtime ties to al-Qaida and spent years depicting himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance.

It remains unclear who set the Christmas tree on fire yesterday, which was condemned by a representative of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham who visited the town and addressed the community.

“This act was committed by people who are not Syrian, and they will be punished beyond your expectations,” the HTS representative said in a video widely shared on social media. “The Christmas tree will be fully restored by this evening.”

Protesters march through the streets of Bab Touma in Damascus, shouting slogans against foreign fighters and carrying large wooden crosses.

“We demand that Syria be for all Syrians. We want a voice in the future of our country,” says Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II of the Syriac Orthodox Church as he addressed the crowd in a church courtyard, assuring them of Christians’ rights in Syria.