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Australian expat attending FIFA World Cup in Qatar explains Aboriginal flag to locals: ‘It’s Australia’s Palestinians’
- A spectator at the World Cup has taught the locals a lesson about the aboriginal flag
- He compared the history of indigenous Australians with that of the Palestinians in the Middle East.
- The man was in the stands for Australia’s win over Denmark in the group stage.
An Australian expat compared First Nations to Palestinians while giving an impromptu lesson on the aboriginal flag to Qataris on the sidelines of the World Cup.
The soccer fan was in the stands of Al Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah, south of the Qatari capital Doha, where Australia beat Denmark on Thursday to advance to the round of 16.
“It’s like these are the Palestinians of Australia,” he says, holding up the aboriginal flag when a local asks what country he represents.
“Red is the earth, yellow is the sun and black represents the Aborigines, the original Australians,” he says.
‘They were extremely mistreated. Now you can raise your head with your flag.
Man giving a lesson on the aboriginal flag to local Qataris at the World Cup (pictured)
He then turns the flag around to show that he is also holding the Australian flag and explains: ‘This is from Great Britain. We recognize both.’
The concept of Palestine as a nation has been around for much of recorded history, but various empires have consistently laid claim to the area.
Currently, Palestine is partially recognized by the UN and consists mainly of the disputed regions of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem of modern Israel.
Modern Palestine consists of the disputed regions of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (pictured)
Sports blogger Suey shared the clip on TikTok, where nearly a million people viewed it in just a few days.
“I never knew that, welcome to Qatar,” one person commented.
“This brought me to tears, thank you for representing our culture,” said another.
“What a show of unity, this is what the World Cup does,” added a third.
Australia beat Denmark (pictured) to advance to the round of 16, where they met tougher competition from Argentina.
Indigenous NRL player Josh Ado-Carr also shared a photo of the men holding both flags on his Instagram.
Suey and her uncle had to explain what the flag was to Qatari officials before they were allowed into the stadium.
Only approved flags are allowed in the stands; Others that are accepted include the Torres Strait Islander flag, the Inca flag of South America, and the Catalonian flag of Spain.