Hundreds of Christians protested in central Damascus on December 24 after a Christmas tree was burned in the northern city of Suqailabiya.
The video of the burning of the Christmas tree spread on social networks the day before. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the tree was set on fire by foreign militants of an Islamist group.
The leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS, recognized as terrorist in Russia and banned), which now controls most of Syria, recorded his own video in which he promised that those who set fire to the Christmas tree would be punished. He promised to restore the tree itself.
Christians in Syria make up up to 10% of the population. Under the regime of Bashar al-Assad, they were free to practice their religion.
HTS* was previously associated with ISIS* and Al-Qaeda*, but in the last few years, according to its own statements, it has moved away from the positions of radical Islamism. After seizing power in Syria, the HTS leadership promised to protect religious minorities and not restrict their rights.
*recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia and banned