Xmas tree burns, fuels protests

TEST FOR HTS | Group has a jihadist past and an Islamist present; its leaders have promised that Syria is for all Syrians and they will protect all minorities

- Agencies

A Christmas tree was reportedly burned by a group of hoodie-donning men in a Christian-majority Syrian town, near the city of Hama, causing widespread protests.

A video posted on social media showed masked gunmen setting fire to the tree on display in the main square of the Suqaylabiyah, a Christian-majority town in central Syria.

Other videos on X showed hundreds shouting slogans while carrying the cross and Syrian national flags. They claimed they wanted to live in their homeland following the faith they were born into and injustice towards Christians should be seized immediately.

The protest at the capital, Damascus, concluded near the headquarters of the Orthodox Patriarchate, reports said. Demonstrators demanded the new Islamist rulers protect religious minorities.