Protests erupted in Syria over the burning of a Christmas tree, prompting calls for the new Islamist authorities to take action to protect minorities.

A video posted on social media showed the burning tree in the main square of Suqaylabiyah, a Christian-majority town in central Syria.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main Islamist faction that led the uprising that toppled President Bashar al-Assad, said foreign fighters had been arrested over the incident.

HTS officials have vowed to protect the rights and freedoms of religious and ethnic minorities in Syria.

Footage on social media appeared to show masked men dousing the Christmas tree with an unknown liquid the night before Christians in Syria prepared to celebrate Christmas Eve. It was unclear whether they were trying to put out the fire or help it spread.

Videos of the aftermath showed a religious representative of the ruling HTS rebel group assuring crowds gathered in Suqaylabiyah that the tree would be repaired before morning.

The man then held up a cross in solidarity, something Islamist conservatives would not normally do.

On Tuesday, more demonstrators took to the streets because of the arson attack, including in parts of the capital Damascus.

Some in the Kassa district of Damascus shouted slogans against foreign fighters in Syria.

“Syria is free, non-Syrians should leave,” they said, referring to the foreign fighters who HTS said were behind the attack.

In the Damascus district of Bab Touma, demonstrators carried a cross and Syrian flags and chanted: “We will sacrifice our souls for our cross.”

“If we are no longer allowed to live our Christian faith in our country as we used to, then we no longer belong here,” a demonstrator named Georges told the AFP news agency.

Syria is home to many ethnic and religious groups, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Christians, Druze, Alawite Shiites and Arab Sunnis, the latter of which make up the majority of the Muslim population.

Just over two weeks ago, Bashar al-Assad’s presidency fell to the rebels, ending more than 50 years of rule by the Assad family.

Since then, many displaced Syrians have begun returning to their homes – on Tuesday Turkey said more than 25,000 Syrians had returned to the country.

However, it remains to be seen how the HTS group will govern Syria.

HTS began as a jihadist group – advocating violence to achieve its goal of establishing a state governed by Islamic law (Sharia) – but in recent years has taken a more pragmatic, less hardline approach.

As the militants marched on Damascus earlier this month, their leaders spoke about building a Syria for all Syrians.

On Tuesday, the new authorities announced that leader Ahmed al-Sharaa had reached an agreement with “revolutionary factions… to dissolve all factions and bring them together under the umbrella of the Defense Ministry,” according to the Sana news agency.

Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said the ministry would be restructured to include rebel fighters.

Although the statement mentioned “all factions,” it was not clear exactly which groups were involved in the merger.

There are several armed groups in Syria, including some that oppose HTS and others that have, at best, unclear ties to HTS.

HTS remains classified as a terrorist organization by the UN, US, EU and UK, although there are signs that a diplomatic shift may be underway.

On Friday, The US has abolished a $10 million (£7.9 million) bounty at the head of HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, after meetings between senior diplomats and representatives of the group.

The USA continues its military presence in Syria. On Friday they said they carried out an airstrike in the northern city of Deir Ezzor, killing two members of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

The presence of foreign fighters, Islamic extremists or even regime supporters who have an interest in creating insecurity and attacking minorities in order to undermine the stability of the country are the major challenge that the new Islamic leadership will face.