Protests break out in Syria after Christmas tree burning

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

A video posted on social media showed the tree on fire in the main square of Suqaylabiyah, a majority-Christian city in central Syria, with masked men standing around.

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

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

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

Two masked fighters 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 of what happened showed a religious figure from the ruling rebel group HTS assuring crowds gathered in Suqaylabiyah that the tree would be repaired before morning.

The man then held up a cross in solidarity, something Islamist conservatives would not do.

On Tuesday, more protesters took to the streets over the arson attack.

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

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

In the Bab Touma neighborhood of Damascus, protesters carried a cross and Syrian flags and chanted “we will sacrifice our souls for our cross.”

“If we are not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, like before, then we no longer belong here,” a protester named Georges told AFP.

Syria is home to many ethnic and religious groups, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Christians, Druze, Shiite Alawites and Sunni Arabs, the latter making up the majority of the Muslim population.

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

It remains to be seen how the HTS group will govern Syria.

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

As fighters marched on Damascus earlier this month, their leaders spoke of building a Syria for all Syrians.

On Tuesday, the new authorities announced that leader Ahmed al-Sharaa had reached an agreement with “revolutionary factions… to dissolve all factions and merge them under the umbrella of the Ministry of Defense,” according to the Sana news agency.

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

Although the statement mentions “all factions,” it is not clear exactly which groups are included in the merger.

There are multiple armed groups in Syria, including some that oppose HTS and others that maintain ambiguous relations with it at best.

HTS remains designated as a terrorist organization by the UN, US, EU and UK, although there are signs that a diplomatic shift may be underway.

On Friday, US removed $10m (£7.9m) reward on the head of HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, following meetings between senior diplomats and representatives of the group.

The United States continues its military presence in Syria. On Friday it said it carried out an airstrike in the northern city of Deir Ezzor, killing two members of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

The presence of foreign fighters, Islamist extremists or even regime supporters who have an interest in causing insecurity and attacking minorities to shake the stability of the country are the great challenge that the new Islamic leadership will face.