Protests erupt in Syria after video of Alawite shrine attack surfaces a day after Christmas tree burning

Protests erupted Wednesday (December 25) in several parts of Syria after a video circulated showing an attack on an Alawite shrine in the northern city of Aleppo, according to witnesses and a war monitor.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported large demonstrations in the coastal cities of Tartus and Latakia, provinces that are strongholds of the Alawite minority, the sect of ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad. Protests were also reported in Qardaha, Assad’s hometown, and in parts of the central city of Homs.

Images from Jableh showed crowds chanting slogans such as “Alawite, Sunni, we want peace.” Authorities in Homs and Jableh imposed nighttime curfews to curb the unrest, state news agency SANA reported.

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The protests are the largest by the Alawites since Assad’s fall earlier this month and come a day after hundreds protested in Damascus against the torching of a Christmas tree.

Attack on shrine sparks outrage

The Observatory said the protests were triggered by video footage showing fighters attacking an important Alawite shrine in Aleppo’s Maysaloon district. Five workers were reportedly killed, and the shrine was set on fire.

The video, which began circulating Wednesday, was reportedly filmed earlier this month after Islamist-led rebels, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, seized control of Aleppo during a lightning offensive that ousted Assad on December 8.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Observatory, said the exact date of the footage was unclear. AFP was unable to independently verify the video or its timing.

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New authorities respond

Syria’s new authorities issued a statement Wednesday dismissing the video as “old” and blaming “unknown groups” for the attack. The interior ministry said the footage was filmed during Aleppo’s capture by rebels earlier this month and accused its republication of aiming to “stir up strife among the Syrian people at this sensitive stage.”

The incident spotlights the deep-seated tensions in Syria, where Assad, who portrayed himself as a protector of minorities in the Sunni-majority nation, relied heavily on the support of his Alawite base during the country’s civil war.

With inputs from agencies