Unknown assailants set fire to a Christmas tree in the square in front of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in al-Mina, Tripoli, on Friday night. This incident comes less than a week after a Christmas tree in front of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in Zahriyeh suffered the same fate last Sunday, on Christmas Eve.
This tree, like the one ransacked last week, was installed by the Al-Tawarek (“Emergency”) foundation. Since 2017, this NGO has been lighting up the Christmas tree in the city of Tripoli.
The tree was installed again on Saturday, wrapped in the Lebanese flag.
The incident was since denounced by several officials. On his social media account, MP Achraf Rifi condemned “the thoughtless act directed against the inhabitants of Tripoli and al-Mina, as well as against the majority of inhabitants who believe in living together.”
MP Adib Abdel Massih, for his part, called for the “expulsion of foreigners and criminals.” On his social media account, he stated that such acts harm the image of Tripoli and its inhabitants.
MP Elie Khoury echoed this sentiment, stressing in a statement that “declarations and messages of solidarity are no longer enough.” In turn, he called on local authorities to “put an end to these despicable acts.”
As for former MP Misbah Ahdab, he criticized, on his social media account, the inaction shown by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi against this matter, who were acting as if they were asked to keep quiet in the face of the city’s “demonization.”
For its part, the Association for the Development of Tripoli and al-Mina called on the security services to step up their presence in front of the churches to prevent any recurrence of such incidents. In a statement, it stressed the coexistence and the living together that characterize Tripoli.
The incident was also condemned by the Free Patriotic Movement, the Tripoli Civil Movement, and other local personalities and associations.
