Ruptly
"The Palm Sunday service at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Al-Suqaylabiyah, western Hama, was marked by a subdued atmosphere and a lack of festive celebrations, amid heightened security following a recent escalation of sectarian attacks in the city. Footage shows worshippers gathering at the church, where armed Syrian government forces were deployed to secure the area. Inside, worshippers can be seen attending mass and listening to the prayer service. "We have coexisted as one community for three centuries. We must not allow the thinking of a few troublemakers to tear us apart," one worshipper said. "We are people who live together. They cannot manage without us, and we cannot manage without them," he stressed. Churches across Syria had previously announced the cancellation of all traditional Palm Sunday celebrations, including scout parades and musical performances. Instead, they held services exclusively inside churches as an expression of 'silent solidarity' with Al-Suqaylabiyah's predominantly Christian community. This comes after Al-Suqaylabiyah witnessed heightened tensions on Friday, following an attack by "masked gunmen who came from Qalaat al-Madiq and neighbouring villages." According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the attack involved riots and vandalism targeting several shops, as well as assaults on civilians in the city."
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