“Alawites to the grave and Christians to Beirut,” was a chant often heard in the early days of the rebellion against Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite, and his government.
Sadly, but perhaps not surprisingly, such sentiments turned to bloodshed over the weekend when over a 1,000 people were reportedly killed in sectarian violence in Latakia. Christians are believed to be among the dead.
The outbreak of violence allegedly began when pro-Assad forces refused to submit to troops from HTS, the al-Qaeda offshoot which overthrew Assad and formed an interim government.
Greek Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox and Melkite Greek Catholic leaders issued a joint statement condemning the violence: "Homes have been violated, their sanctity disregarded, and properties looted — scenes that starkly reflect the immense suffering endured by the Syrian people.
"The Christian Churches while strongly condemning any act that threatens civil peace, denounce and condemn the massacres targeting innocent civilians, and call for an immediate end to these horrific acts, which stand in stark opposition to all human and moral values.
"The Churches also call for the swift creation of conditions conducive to achieving national reconciliation among the Syrian people.
"They urge efforts to establish an environment that facilitates the transition to a state that respects all its citizens and lays the foundation for a society based on equal citizenship and genuine partnership, free from the logic of vengeance and exclusion."
The leadership of HTS has previously indicated that it will protect the rights of minorities, such as Christians and Alawites, and early signs suggested they might actually do so.
Now however there are serious concerns about HTS and the role it may have played in this weekend’s massacre. Of the 1,000 killed, at least 745 were civilians and it is possible the death toll is in fact significantly higher.
Accounts differ as to who exactly was behind the violence. BBC reports indicate that the killers were possibly rogue supporters of the new regime and that the violence ceased when the security services turned up to restore order.
They quoted one local who said, "They were strangers, I can't identify their identity or language, but they seemed to be Uzbek or Chechen.
"There were also some Syrians with them but not from the official security. Some civilians also were among those who carried out the killing."
However other sources have claimed that HTS itself may be the culprit. A report by The European Conservative places the blame squarely on HTC forces, who are also accused of murdering individual Christians in the days prior to the massacre.
One local Christian told the publication, “We are afraid that after they finish with the Alawites, they will kill us en masse. After seeing the massacres yesterday, all people here are terrified.”
Since HTS took over in December there have been numerous stories of Christians being harassed, arrested or pressured into following Islamic customs. It remains unclear how much of this is sanctioned by the government and how much is fighters on the ground taking matters into their own hands due to the lack of central authority.
One other area of concern is the work on Syria’s new constitution. Leaked information has suggested that the first article of the constitution will require that a Muslim be president.
