Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in Christian areas of Damascus to protest against the burning of a Christmas tree near Hama in central Syria, AFP journalists witnessed.
“We demand the rights of Christians,” chanted the protesters as they marched through the Syrian capital towards the headquarters of the Orthodox Patriarchate in the Bab Sharqi neighborhood.
The protests come just over two weeks after an armed coalition led by Islamists overthrew the government of Bashar al-Assad, who had presented himself as the protector of minorities in the Sunni-majority country.
