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Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Christian areas of Damascus early on Tuesday to protest the burning of a Christmas tree near Hama in central Syria, French news agency AFP reported. The protesters chanted “We demand the rights of Christians” as they marched towards the headquarters of the Orthodox Patriarchate in the Bab Sharqi neighbourhood in the Syrian capital. The protests come just over two weeks after an armed coalition led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the government of Bashar al-Assad, who saw himself as a protector of minorities in the predominantly Sunni country. One demonstrator, who gave his name only as Georges, told AFP that he was protesting “injustice towards Christians”. “If we are not allowed to practice our Christian faith in our country as we used to do, then we no longer belong here,” Georges said.