Internet reports of a recent Christian slaughter in Syria are “misled” and could have negative consequences for Christians in Syria, according to a spokesperson for Open Doors.

Matthew Barnes, communications officer for Open Doors in the Middle East and North Africa, says there is no evidence of any major attacks on Christians in recent days, as claimed in many stories and online publications.

The claims followed a wave of violence in the Syrian coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, which began on Thursday 6 March.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 1,000 people were killed in two days of violence, including over 700 civilians.

However, all reports suggest that almost all of the civilians killed were from the Alawite Shiite people, who remain largely loyal to deposed former president Bashar al-Assad.

“We know that four Christian men have died in the region where the violence took place. We know that one of them was hit by a stray bullet. We have no evidence that any of them were killed because of their faith. This certainly does not equate to a ‘slaughter of Christians’”, said Barnes.

Angry reaction on social media

The story of a massacre of Christians spread over that same weekend. People reacted angrily on the social media site X to what they perceived as a “cover-up”.

“Why no outrage from the government and mainstream media?” wrote one user. “More than 1000 Christians have been killed since Thursday and no one cares!”.

Others spoke of an unproven ‘genocide’ of Christians in the country. Even the CEO of X, Elon Musk stepped in, asking, “Is that what happened?”

“It can rebound onto the Syrian Christians”

Barnes pointed out that he was “terribly worried” by the situation, because “something like this can rebound onto the Christians there”.

“When a Christian NGO recently started a lawsuit against the new president, the Syrian government summoned a bishop from the same denomination as the NGO and asked why Christians are so against the president”, he added.

According to Barnes, “the lesson is that we must assume that everything that’s in the news, or even on social media, will be seen by governments and other armed groups. And that can have terrible repercussions on the Christian population, who likely had nothing to do with the rumours”.

Another big exodus?

He warned that although very few Christians were harmed by the violence, it is already having a negative impact on the mood of the church.

“When I visited Christians in Syria last week, they were still cautious but optimistic. Christians in the Mediterranean region are very fearful that they will be stuck in the middle of this infighting”, said Barnes. Furthermore, “one person I know said that she knows of people now wanting to leave the country”.

“Hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled Syria in recent years. I amm afraid if violence like this becomes commonplace, we will have another big exodus”, concluded the communications officer for Open Doors in the Middle East and North Africa.