Christmas Tree Set on Fire in Hama, Syria

Members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham set a Christmas tree on fire in Hama, Syria.

According to reports and videos circulated on social media, on the eve of Christmas, members affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham set a Christmas tree on fire in the city square of “Sqailbiyah” in the “Hama countryside” of Syria.

People moved toward the city square to extinguish the fire, but those who had set the Christmas tree ablaze pointed their rifles at the civilians, causing fear, panic, and severe tension in the city. This prompted residents of Sqailbiyah to protest against the armed militants, who were mostly foreigners and largely Uzbek, viewing the act as a violation of the “freedom of belief” claimed by Abu Muhammad al-Julani. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham attempted to attribute the crime to remnants of the former regime through its media outlets, but witnesses at the scene and residents of the area recorded videos on their mobile phones and managed to neutralize Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s efforts by publishing them. Through the videos, they demonstrated that the perpetrators of the arson were armed members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham who held foreign citizenship and were mostly Uzbek.

One resident of the city described the Christmas tree burning by armed militants, saying: “A convoy of vehicles belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, carrying individuals dressed in military uniforms and speaking classical Arabic, arrived at the city square. They first broke several branches of the Christmas tree with an axe and then set it on fire. They then pointed their weapons at civilians who intended to prevent the burning of the tree.”

As a result of the incident and the circulation of videos by residents, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was ultimately forced to acknowledge the incident and announced that it would interrogate those responsible for the arson.

Syria is currently experiencing significant developments, and the burning of the Christmas tree is just one of the incidents that have occurred in the country. These events demonstrate the chaos and lack of control by Syria’s new authorities over their subordinate groups.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham forces have committed numerous violent acts in various parts of Syria, including several cases of killing, torture, and mistreatment in Syrian villages, breaking into homes, confiscating personal property and vehicles, and torturing and humiliating former Syrian army soldiers who had surrendered.

Analysts regarding these developments and events have stated: “These matters cannot be separated from two possibilities. Either al-Julani is unable to control his subordinate forces and is preoccupied with governance and receiving foreign delegations in the presidential palaces while his subordinate groups act as they wish, or this is a dual policy of Damascus’s new rulers. That is, they appear tolerant and open-minded to the West and regional countries to reassure them, while in practice, they pursue plans of revenge and suppression of minorities and opponents.”