Thousands of people protested across several cities in Syria after a video showed an attack on an Alawite shrine, prompting police to impose curfews in four cities as a preventive measure. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said thousands took to the streets, with major demonstrations in coastal cities Tartous and Latakia.
Protests erupted after a video began circulating showing “an attack by fighters” on an important Alawite shrine in Aleppo’s Maysaloon district, where five workers were killed and the shrine was set ablaze. However, the Ministry of Interior said the video dated back to late November and was carried out by unknown groups.
The protests were sparked by concerns over sectarianism and violence against minority groups, including the Alawite community to which former ruler Bashar al-Assad belongs. Demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Alawite, Sunni, we want peace” and called for those who attacked the shrine to be held accountable.
Police in central Homs imposed a curfew from 6pm until 8am on Thursday, while authorities in Jableh and two other cities announced nighttime curfews. The protests came after hundreds demonstrated against the torching of a Christmas tree near central Syria’s Hama earlier this week.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/25/protests-in-syria-after-old-video-shows-attack-on-alawite-shrine