On March 10, social media users shared a video (1, 2, 3, 4), claiming that it showed Syrian Christians erecting a cross during a protest. The posts’ descriptions suggested that they did so despite significant pressure, creating the impression that the event was related to the clashes that began on March 6. These clashes resulted in over 1,000 deaths, most of whom were civilians (Alawites) executed by government security forces.
The circulated footage is not related to recent events in Syria. The Christians erected the cross during a protest in December 2024. The protest was sparked by the burning of a Christmas tree in the center of a city before Christmas, and participants were demanding the protection of Christian rights.
According to reputable sources such as The New York Times and The Guardian, on December 23, 2024, a video surfaced online showing masked individuals setting fire to a Christmas tree in Al-Suqaylabiyah, a small Syrian town primarily inhabited by Christians. This incident angered the local Christian community, leading to a protest in the capital, Damascus, on December 24, during which the demonstrators erected several large wooden crosses and demanded the protection of Christian rights. Videos of this protest, filmed from different angles, were also widely circulated across various media outlets and social networks, some of which are identical to the video shared on Facebook.
-
What is happening in Syria?
On March 6, armed clashes broke out between Syrian security forces and supporters of former president Bashar al-Assad. The clashes have already claimed the lives of over 1,000 people in the western part of the country, populated by the Islamic Alawite minority. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Of them, of the total casualties, 745 were civilians (mostly Alawites). The organization reports that 148 Assad supporters and at least 125 Syrian security forces were killed in the past few days. The ongoing violence in Syria is described as the most brutal in the 13-year-long conflict, with women and children among the victims.
On March 9, another video manipulation regarding the events in Syria circulated on social media, which Myth Detector fact-checked. You can find other fact-checks about misleading or manipulative claims related to Syria in our published articles.
The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.
Read detailed instructions for editing the article.
Read detailed appeal instructions.
