After the fall of former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, many Syrians hoped their country would begin to recover from the devastating decade-long civil war that had torn it apart and left the civilian population in peril. The new Syrian government, largely made up of remnants from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, vowed to usher in a new era of prosperity and democracy for the nation. Unfortunately, these promises have yet to materialize. A new wave of sectarian violence has erupted, resulting in the deaths of nearly 7,000 Alawites and Christians.

The three Syrian Patriarchs, including the Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X, released a joint statement condemning the violence as a crime against humanity and a violation of human rights and dignity. The new Syrian government, backed by Turkey, has been acting with impunity, desecrating and looting Christian properties, destroying icons, and executing innocent women and children simply because of their faith and ethnicity.

The Orthodox Christians of Syria have been left without any representation or protection, leaving them completely vulnerable to these horrific attacks perpetrated by jihadists and extremists.

We Greeks share a common cause with the Orthodox Christians of Syria and the greater Levant. Our religious, ethnic, and historical ties affirm our identities as members of the Hellenic diaspora, whether in Syria, America, or Greece. The West has wholly endorsed the Syrian government – including Greece – which has sent a delegation to meet with the new government. Rather than supporting our communities in the Levant, Greece has effectively undermined their security and endangered our brothers.

KTE believes that Greece and the West must act unilaterally to protect the Alawite and Christian minorities of Syria. Without intervention, the massacres will surely continue, and the 2000-year history of Hellenism and Orthodoxy in Syria may disappear for good.

European governments that support the new Syrian regime have a responsibility to intervene and prevent the continuation of the atrocities that they tacitly supported through their legitimization of the current government. Christians and Alawites deserve to live in a stable region where they are not massacred, and the Greek government has an obligation to protect the Greek Orthodox community.