The problem here is with the unconcious and never-examined assumption of those in the West that majority rule and freedom, in the sense of individual/minority rights, inherently go together.
The Assad dynasty is a member of a rather smallish minority in Syria. His oppressive rule by definition is most oppressive to those who threaten it, obviously the Sunni majority. So it lays less harshly on the various minority groups: Shia, Druze, Kurds, Christians.
The majority, reasonably and accurately enough, sees this as the Assad being on “their side,” and by extension the miniroties as supporting Assad. Not being idiots and well aware of this dynamic, it is entirely possible many of the minority group members actually have supported Assad. So when Assad goes and the majority gains power, you can expect bad things to result for the minorities, as they did in Iran, Iraq and Egypt. “Kill the traitors!” has always been a popular song.
This happens in just about every third world toilet where a dictatorship is replaced, even briefly, by something resembling democracy, but the media is surprised by it every time.
exactly
Could this be because, in fact, the Salafists Sunni Islamists were coming to kill the Christians?"They were told Salafists were coming to kill [the Christians],"