On March 6, armed supporters of Assad attacked the police in Syria. As a result of this clash, 16 members of the security forces were killed. Government forces, in turn, killed 31 people, including 28 Assad loyalists and three civilians. In the following days, the situation in Syria sharply deteriorated, with the death toll surpassing 1,000. In parallel with the violence, numerous posts were shared on social media, manipulatively linking old photos and videos to the ongoing events. Additionally, disinformation spread claiming that European countries did not vote for a UN anti-terrorism resolution on Syria.
Amid the violence, messages actively circulated asserting that the Christian population in Syria was being ruthlessly massacred and subjected to genocide, but the West remained silent, refrained from criticizing the developments in Syria, and even invited Syrian government representatives to Brussels, while directing its criticism and sanctions against the Georgian government. These narratives were promoted by politicians, including Konstantine Morgoshia, founder of the pro-Russian party Conservative Movement; members of the People’s Power party, Davit Kartvelishvili and Eka Sepashvili; Georgian Dream member Giorgi Gabunia; Neutral Georgia member Vato Shakarashvili; and chairman of the Solidarity for Peace party, Nikoloz Zhghenti; as well as government-affiliated experts, such as Goga Khaindrava, Soso Manjavidze, and Bacho Odisharia, and Facebook users supporting the Conservative Movement and the ruling party. Pro-government media outlets also amplified these messages, including Imedi (1,2,3,4), POSTV (1,2), Newshub (1,2,3) Reportiori, Marshalpress (1,2), Georgian Times (1,2,3,4,5) Infopostalioni, News.ge, media holding Kvira (1,2), Publicist and Exclusive Media. Similar messages were also disseminated by TV program hosts on certain media channels.
| Politicians | Government-affiliated experts | Pro-government and pro-Russian media outlets |
| Konstantine Morgoshia, Conservative Movement, March 10: “For the past few days, social media has been flooded with videos depicting indescribable sadism in Syria, where terrorist government forces are slaughtering Christian and Alawite populations, including children, based on religious affiliation. Churches have been destroyed, and clergy have been killed. Yet, not a single word about this horrific genocide has been uttered by the West or the entire liberal media.
But really, what should they say? What’s happening there is precisely the work of those European liberals whom so-called Georgian liberals pin their hopes on and who fund them as they take to the streets!!! I stand in solidarity with the Syrian people, who have become the martyrs of the 21st century. The time will soon come when all will be held accountable for this genocide.” |
Goga Khaindrava, March 10: “Ole-ola, defenders! Be blessed by [Michael] Roth, Annalena Baerbock, and Kaja Kallas! The path to a ‘European’ future you are defending begins in Gldani Prison, passes through the European Union, and leads to Syria, where right now, ‘democratic terrorists’ are mercilessly slaughtering Alawites and Christians based on religious identity!
Ole-ola!” |
Sezoni TV: “Sum-Up of the Day with Nikoloz Mzhavanadze” – Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, March 11: “Now I ask the question: Are we still heading toward Europe? Toward the same Europe that financed and continues to finance a coup in Georgia? The same Europe that gave the green light to the mass slaughter of people in Syria? The same Europe that hasn’t even published a single letter of outrage or condemnation against Syria’s current regime? On the contrary, this butcher who rules Syria today has been invited to a high-level international meeting in Europe. And this is the West we are heading toward.” |
| Giorgi Gabunia, Georgian Dream, March 10: “It’s ridiculous when they lecture Georgia about democracy and democratic values… We see the horrific events unfolding in Syria today; hundreds of civilians, as I read yesterday, 530 people – elderly, women, children – were killed in the streets, and likely even more…
And amid this, we remember how the foreign ministers of leading European countries traveled to Syria, met with the person responsible for all of this, lifted sanctions on him, and even removed a $10 million bounty the U.S. had placed on this individual […] Meanwhile, we see sanctions being imposed on representatives of the Georgian government, on state and political officials. As an example, to draw a parallel, they even considered Lasha Talakhadze an aggressive person. |
Soso Manjavidze, March 8: “… The European media is watching the massacre of Alawites and Christians with its eyes tightly shut. Their shamelessness and immorality truly know no bounds.
Can you believe it? The terrorist groups that have taken power in Syria are considered a legitimate and democratic government, while Georgia’s government is deemed illegitimate and undemocratic…” |
Zaza Maridashvili, “Konservatoria,” POSTV, March 15: “…Why is it that the government in Syria has killed so many people – in any case, the government is responsible – but now the entire European Union remains silent? […] If I’m not mistaken, the OSCE adopted a resolution condemning the actions of the Syrian government, and you’d be surprised – major states didn’t even support it. These were Germany, the UK, Italy, and France. The leading countries didn’t even support a condemnation of what’s happening there.” |
| Eka Sepashvili, People’s Power, March 11: “This kind of unprecedented massacre is happening in Syria, yet have you heard any condemnation from the Baltic states or Europe? On the contrary, amid all this, when the new global order is actually taking shape, they somehow find time to impose sanctions on members of the Georgian Parliament for inexplicable reasons.” | Davit Chikhelidze, March 10: “The events unfolding in Syria have once again shown that for the West, the main concern is not the actual situation but the perceptions they impose! What is happening in Syria can only be described as a complete catastrophe. In the 21st century, we are witnessing barbaric attacks on Christians, beheadings, executions in the streets, etc. And what is the West’s response? Silence! They haven’t even expressed concern (with a few exceptions). However, the West had a positive reaction when a terrorist came to power in Syria! They even called him a democratic leader, including in Georgia!”
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POST-Analytics, March 9:
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| Davit Kartvelishvili, People’s Power, March 11: “On March 9, 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a clear statement regarding the recent events in Syria, condemning the actions of radical Islamist terrorists involved in the killing of civilians in western Syria. Yet, the ‘silence of the lambs’ from Eurobureaucrats continues… The Secretary of State also called on Syria’s interim government to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice. However, on the ‘deep state’s’ Euro-Soviet flank, there is only the expected, deafening silence, probably because of their ‘How can I behead my own child?’ principle.” | Bacho Odisharia, March 9: “In just two days, the new Syrian government, declared democratic and pro-Western by the majority of EU countries and the Biden administration, has killed over a thousand people in the streets. Ordinary citizens are being slaughtered with the extraordinary brutality in streets under the pretext that they are either Assad supporters or belong to religious minorities, including Christians. The so-called ‘democratic’ new president has described these killings as ‘expected challenges.’ In other words, under the pretext of Assad’s pro-Russian stance, the terrorists that have come to power through the West-backed coup, are now executing citizens in the streets for political and religious reasons. Yet, this hasn’t even received a fraction of the criticism that MEPs, EU foreign ministers, and the U.S. State Department under the previous administration directed at our country. Let’s not forget that our own opposition has also declared support for this murderous new regime. These same people, inside and outside the country, stand shamelessly and dare to call us a regime.” | Georgia First NEWS, March 11:
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| Vato Shakarashvili, Neutral Georgia, March 10: “For several days now, peaceful civilians in Syria have been subjected to mass slaughter based on religious and ethnic identity! Along with other minorities, Christians are being murdered! Children and women are being tortured in the streets… children are brutally killed before their parents’ eyes…
An unspeakable tragedy is unfolding in the 21st century… Where is libtards’ beloved and reliable ‘civilized world’?!”
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Ad Hoc · Ed Hocki: Talk Show – Tako Mamaishvili, March 12: “Ever since the new government took power in Syria, horrifying events have been unfolding.
Uncensored videos are spreading, showing women, children, and the elderly being killed in the streets… These gruesome murders are being carried out by the new regime that the West and the previous U.S. administration recognized as democratic and pro-European, granting it legitimacy. And what’s more, even after these horrifying killings have been made public, the European Commission is inviting this regime to Brussels for an official visit. There is no outrage from Europe over the thousands of people killed, including a great number of Christians.” |
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| Mikheil Zhghenti, Solidarity for Peace, March 13: “In my opinion, the European Union, which is preparing for a major war with Russia (and I think we all know how that will end), will try to ignite the Middle East, and Syria is the perfect candidate for this.
As for the media coverage, there is nothing surprising here. Today, the liberal West has no interest in exposing the atrocities committed by the new Syrian government that it supports.” |
Messages claiming that a genocide against Christians is taking place in Syria and that the West is supporting terrorists there – while at the same time sanctioning Georgia – were also spread on social media by Facebook pages and accounts. Among them were active supporters of the pro-Russian party Conservative Movement, who are known for frequently spreading disinformation on Facebook.
Regarding the ongoing events in Syria, the account “World News” also shared a video featuring a sermon by Syrian Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II in which he speaks about the persecution of Christians. However, the video is unrelated to current events and was originally published in December 2024. It is also worth noting that the Facebook page “World News” frequently posts about Syria and refers to the conflicting parties as terrorists funded by the European Union and the United States.
In his sermon, the cleric speaks about the persecution of Christians on religious grounds and encourages the congregation by stating that God is with them. Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Christians have been victims of violence and persecution by Islamist groups, with numerous cases of religiously motivated killings and kidnappings. Despite promises from Syria’s new Islamist leaders, who came to power after the fall of Assad’s regime, to uphold freedom of religion for Christian communities and other minorities, there remains a level of fear among Christians that they could once again become targets of violence.
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What Do We Know About the Events in Syria, and Were Christians Targets of Violence?
On March 6, an armed conflict broke out between Syrian security forces and supporters of former president Bashar al-Assad. In Latakia province, pro-Assad groups attacked security forces, killing 16 people. In response, government forces launched a special operation that lasted four days. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), the Ministry of Defense was assisted in this operation by local paramilitary factions, local armed groups of civilians, and foreign Islamist groups that are nominally linked to the Ministry of Defense but are not officially part of it. The organization reports that these groups were primarily responsible for sectarian violence against civilians that was retaliatory in nature.
The majority of the victims were Alawites. Alawism is a branch of Shia Islam, while most of Syria’s population follows Sunni Islam. Bashar al-Assad is an Alawite, and under his rule, Alawites held privileged positions in the government. Alawites make up about 10% of Syria’s population and are primarily concentrated in coastal regions such as Latakia and Tartus. The victims of several days of violence were predominantly Alawites.
Eyewitnesses also spoke to the media about the involvement of foreign fighters. In an interview with the BBC, Ayman Fares recounted surviving the violence but said armed men looted his belongings and stole vehicles. He mentioned that they were foreigners, and he could not identify their language, but they seemed to be Uzbek or Chechen. Fares noted that some of the attackers were Syrian but were not official government personnel. He described the scale of violence as horrific, with entire families killed in their homes. Another local resident, Ali, who declined to disclose his full name, confirmed Fares’ account in an interview with the BBC. Ali said that he learned about the deaths of his neighbors through Facebook posts. His neighbor was robbed of money and valuables but was not killed. Ali and his family were sheltered by Sunni neighbors. According to Ali, after the violence began, many Sunni locals helped Alawite families, taking them to a school in a predominantly Sunni district where they would be safer.
According to the SNHR, numerous human rights violations occurred between March 6 and 10, including murders, extrajudicial killings, and systematic mass executions in sectarian retaliation. Attacks targeted civilians, medical personnel, journalists, and humanitarian workers. The organization recorded the killing of 803 civilians, including 39 children and 49 women. It also documented the deaths of 172 security force members. Additionally, 211 people were killed in direct clashes and gunfire exchanges between various groups.
As for Christians it is known that there are Christians among the victims; however, according to available reports, the number of confirmed cases suggests that Christians have not been directly targeted for religious persecution in this case. According to the international Catholic charity, Church in Need, violence in the region affects everyone, including Christians. Syrian Catholic Bishop Jacques Mourad, in an interview with La Croix International, mentioned that as a result of the violence, 12 Christians were killed, but emphasized that Christians were not the target of the attacking groups. AFP confirmed 7 cases of Christian killings. Local reports indicate that among the victims are a father and son killed in Latakia, a Christian family of four from an Alawite neighborhood, and a priest’s father who was killed in Baniyas.
“Christians were killed, not because they were Christians, but because they lived in Alawite neighborhoods. They were collateral victims […] Some Muslims were also reportedly killed. But saying that the government is specifically targeting Christians is inaccurate and could put them at further risk,” said Bishop Jacques Mourad.
On March 8, the Patriarchs of Syria issued a joint statement condemning the violence, though the statement does not mention that Christians were intentionally targeted. On March 8, pastors of Christian churches in Latakia also issued a statement, clarifying that the claim that churches were offering shelter to people was false, as there had been no need for such action. The clergy urged the faithful to exercise caution and only rely on official sources for information.
After the violent clashes that began on March 6, posts about violence against Christians spread on social media in other countries as well. Notably, this narrative was amplified by right-wing groups in France. A similar trend was observed in the U.S., where Tucker Carlson published a post about the mass killings of Christians. Elon Musk also shared a post by Swedish journalist Peter Sweden about the killings of Christians, asking, “How many people have been killed?”
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What was the response from the West to the events unfolding in Syria?
On March 8, the speaker of the European Union delegation to Syria responded to the violence that had erupted in Syria. The statement condemned the attack on transitional government forces, reportedly carried out by Assad’s supporters, which led to further escalation of violence.
“The European Union strongly condemns the recent attacks, reportedly by pro-Assad elements, on interim government forces in the coastal areas of Syria and all violence against civilians.
“Civilians have to be protected in all circumstances in full respect of international humanitarian law.
“The EU also calls on all external actors to fully respect the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Syria. The EU condemns any attempts to undermine stability and the prospects for a lasting peaceful transition, inclusive and respectful of all Syrians in their diversity.”
Additionally, between March 8 and 10, various European countries responded to the violence. France and Germany called on Syria’s transitional government to investigate cases of violence, hold perpetrators accountable, and work towards ending the violence. In the statements regarding Syria, foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, and Sweden, along with the foreign ministries of Estonia and Italy, emphasized the need for the protection of the rights and safety of all Syrians, regardless of their minority status.
On March 9, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also issued a statement. The U.S. condemned the killings carried out by radical Islamists, including foreign jihadists, expressed support for ethnic and religious minorities in Syria, and called on Syria’s transitional government to hold the perpetrators accountable.
On March 11, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy issued a statement condemning both the attacks on security forces by Assad’s supporting groups and the attacks on civilians by government-supporting groups:
“We strongly condemn the attacks by pro-Assad militias against security forces. We also condemn in the strongest terms the horrific crimes committed against civilians, including summary killings, many of which have been allegedly perpetrated by armed groups supporting the security forces of the transitional authorities.”
The statement also welcomed the transitional government’s commitment to establishing an investigative committee to address accountability for the perpetrators. The EU urged the Syrian authorities to allow the UN Human Rights Council’s international commission to investigate human rights violations. The statement was also supported by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
On March 12, the European Parliament passed a resolution supporting Syria. The resolution primarily focused on supporting Syria after the fall of Assad’s regime but also addressed the events of March 6-10 and the complex situation in Syria.
On March 17, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attended the annual conference on Syria in Brussels. The main topics of the conference were Syria’s political transition, reconstruction, and economic recovery. The EU expressed support for Syria’s transition after the fall of Assad’s regime and highlighted the importance of human rights, unity, and accountability. The parties agreed on preventing terrorism, resolving humanitarian issues, and supporting reconstruction.
The conference chairpersons and the Syrian foreign minister condemned the attacks on security forces by Assad’s supporters and the exploitation of Syria’s situation by external state and non-state actors. They also once again condemned retaliatory violence and crimes committed against civilians and emphasized the need for the prosecution of those responsible for such crimes.
