Syrians Protest Attack on Alawite Shrine After Shocking Video

Protests erupted across several regions of Syria on Wednesday after a video emerged showing an attack on an Alawite shrine in northern Syria, according to witnesses and a war monitor.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that large demonstrations took place in the coastal cities of Tartus and Latakia, which are home to the Alawite minority, the sect to which former president Bashar al-Assad belongs. Protests were also reported in parts of the central city of Homs and other areas, including Qardaha, Assad’s hometown.

Witnesses informed AFP that protests took place in Tartus, Latakia, and nearby Jableh, with images from Jableh showing large crowds in the streets chanting slogans such as “Alawite, Sunni, we want peace.”

In response to the unrest, the state news agency SANA reported that authorities in central Homs imposed a curfew from 6:00 pm to 8:00 am, and a similar nighttime curfew was announced in Jableh.

The protests followed the circulation of a video earlier that day showing an attack on a significant Alawite shrine in Aleppo’s Maysaloon district. The video claimed that five workers were killed in the attack and the shrine was set on fire.

Syrian authorities have dismissed the video as “old,” claiming it showed an incident from earlier in the month when Islamist-led rebels captured northern Aleppo. An interior ministry statement noted that the video was being republished to “stir up strife” during a sensitive time for the country.

Bashar al-Assad has long portrayed himself as the protector of Syria’s minority groups, particularly the Alawites, in a nation dominated by Sunni Muslims.