A new Christmas tree erected in Tripoli after the burning of the first one by arsonists (Credit: photo circulating on social media on December 24, 2023)
BEIRUT — A Christmas tree was erected and decorated in Tripoli after the first one was burned by arsonists, MP Elie Khoury said in a post on Facebook.
Earlier on Sunday, L'Orient Today reported that unidentified persons burned down a Christmas tree in Tripoli and tried to set fire to a second one in the city at dawn on Christmas Eve.
"After following up with the Greek Orthodox priests of Tripoli and after making the necessary contacts with those concerned, we decided to redecorate the Christmas tree in the courtyard of St. George’s Cathedral," said Khoury, the Maronite MP for Tripoli and member of the Lebanese Forces party.
What remains of a Christmas tree after it was burned on Sunday at dawn (Credit: photo circulated on social media on Dec. 24, 2023)
Khoury also thanked the al-Tawarek Foundation, an NGO that helps families in need in Tripoli that insisted on covering the cost of re-lighting the tree.
Al-Tawarek Foundation had previously financed the lighting of the tree before it was burned.
People erecting the new Christmas tree on Sunday (Credit: photo circulating on social media on December 24, 2023)
Reactions
Tripoli native and former government minister Nicolas Nahas took to X (formerly Twitter) following the arson incident to say that it is a "condemnable act and does not resemble the values and traditions of Tripoli."
He also said he had contacted caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, and that both of them have requested an investigation into what happened.
Khoury also condemned the act, saying it "will not go unnoticed and those who committed it will be held accountable."
"Tripoli was and will remain the city of peace, the city of Christians and Muslims," Khoury added.
A similar occurrence happened in December 2019 when a Christmas tree was also set on fire at the al-Nini roundabout in Tripoli.
Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak
