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Following the burning of a Christmas tree in Suqaylabiyah, a Christian-majority town in central Syria, protests have erupted, with calls for the new Islamist authorities to ensure the protection of minorities. Social media footage captured the tree ablaze in the town's main square.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main Islamist faction which 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.
Footage on social media appeared to show masked men dousing the Christmas tree with an unidentified liquid the night before Christians in Syria prepared to celebrate Christmas Eve.
Videos of the aftermath showed a religious figure from the governing HTS rebel group assuring crowds who had gathered in Suqaylabiyah that the tree would be repaired before the morning. The man then held up a cross in a show of solidarity, something Islamist conservatives would not normally do.
On Tuesday more protesters took to the streets over the arson attack, including in parts of the capital Damascus. Some in the Kassa neighbourhood of Damascus chanted against foreign fighters in Syria.
"Syria is free, non Syrians should leave," they said, in reference to the foreign fighters HTS said were behind the attack.
In the Bab Touma neighbourhood of Damascus, protesters carried a cross and Syrian flags, chanting "we will sacrifice our souls for our cross".
"If we're not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don't belong here anymore," a demonstrator named Georges said.
Syria is home to many ethnic and religious groups, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Christians, Druze, Alawite Shia and Arab Sunnis, the last of whom make up a majority of the Muslim population.
Just over two weeks ago, Bashar al-Assad's presidency fell to rebel forces, ending the Assad family's more than 50-year-rule.
Since then many displaced Syrians have begun heading back to their homes - on Tuesday, Turkey said more than 25,000 Syrians had returned to the country.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said the ministry of defence would be restructured to include rebel fighters.
