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Borussia Dortmund fans held up a banner that read ‘Boycott Qatar 2022’ ahead of their Champions League game against Manchester City at Signal Iunda Park.
With the tournament only a few weeks away, the list of dissenting votes against this year’s World Cup continues to grow and Dortmund fans are expressing their dismay at the event in a very public way.
On a day when veteran LGBT activist Peter Tatchell claims to stage the first-ever protest of its kind in the Gulf state, the German club’s supporters expressed his feelings.
Tatchell had claimed that he had been arrested by Qatari authorities, but a statement was released claiming it was “false” and criticizing the activist for “the deliberate intent to provoke negative reactions is irresponsible and unacceptable.”
Several German clubs are known for their staunch activism on social and moral issues.
The protests from Dortmund supporters come as calls against the tournament continued to grow in light of the fast-approaching start date.
Borussia Dortmund fans held up a banner for their Champions League clash with Manchester City
Denmark, which will participate in the tournament, has chosen to use their uniforms to express their concern about the country’s human rights situation.
The Dane’s kit manufacturers Hummel issued a statement alongside the release of their kits for the tournament explaining why they were in block colors with the national decal also in the same colour.
“The color of mourning,” Hummel said in an Instagram post. “The perfect color for Denmark’s third shirt for this year’s World Cup.”
“While we fully support the Danish national team, this should not be confused with support for a tournament that has cost the lives of thousands,” the company said.
Peter Tatchell said he was arrested in Qatar after organizing the country’s first LGBT protest
“We want to make a statement about the human rights situation in Qatar and the treatment of the migrant workers who built the country’s World Cup stadiums.”
Meanwhile, a number of French cities said they would not set up the usual fan parks for the tournament in protest at the treatment of migrant workers.
Paris, Lille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Marseille are among those who will not put up the screens.
Qatar denied he was arrested and said he was spreading false information
“It is impossible for us to ignore the many alarms from NGOs about the abuse and exploitation of migrant workers,” Strasbourg Mayor Jeanne Barseghian told 20 Minutes.
“Strasbourg, the capital of Europe and seat of the European Court of Human Rights, should not close its eyes when human rights are violated in this way.”
England’s protest pick for the tournament will take shape through Harry Kane, the country’s captain, who wears a rainbow-colored armband for every match they play at the World Cup.
The campaign, titled OneLove, focuses on discrimination and sees Kane don the bracelet along with eight other national skippers, including Gareth Bale of Wales. However, England has come under criticism for this, with some activists saying it didn’t go far enough.
Managers of countries, including Louis van Gaal and Hansi Flick, have criticized the tournament.
Was it right to award the World Cup to Qatar? These questions should have been answered much earlier, with no!’ said Flip.
Amnesty says the general public position is that sponsors support calls to the Qatari government and FIFA to support reparations
‘The fact is that in Qatar when it comes to human rights, when it comes to sustainability, a lot is wrong, that’s clear.’
Van Gaal, who will lead the Netherlands in their first World Cup tournament since 2014, said: “Of course I support the compensation funds (for the victims of labor abuse in the construction of the World Cup stadiums in Qatar) and I think that should happen especially if you consider that billions, I mean millions that FIFA benefits from the tournament.
“If they’re smart enough to host the World Cup there, they’ll have to stand by whatever comes after that decision.”
Human rights groups have tried to illustrate how bad the treatment of migrant workers has been since the country was awarded the tournament in 2010.
They have called on sponsors to beg FIFA to contribute to the reparations paid to the migrant workers and their families affected over the past 12 years.
Several French cities will not have fan parks from 2018 where supporters can watch their team try to keep their prize
Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, said amid demands for remedies on migrant workers and their families: “Brands buy rights to sponsor the World Cup because they want to be associated with joy, fair competition and spectacular human achievements.” on the playing field – no rampant wage theft and the deaths of workers who made the World Cup possible.
“With only two months to go, sponsors must use their significant leverage to pressure FIFA and Qatar to live up to their human rights responsibilities to these workers.”
“Corporate sponsors have paid FIFA more than $1 billion to be associated with the 2022 World Cup and do not want their brands affected by human rights abuses,” said Stephen Cockburn, Amnesty International’s chief economic and social justice officer.
“It’s clear what the public and their customers want them to do: stand up for workers’ rights in Qatar and demand compensation for every worker who has suffered to make this tournament possible.”
Louis Van Gaal urged FIFA to face the consequences when he lashed out at their ‘smart’ decision to award Qatar the tournament
Amnesty added their voice to such calls.
“In addition to the sponsors of the World Cup, they should also use their influence and call on the authorities of FIFA and Qatar to publicly commit to a compensation fund to remedy serious abuses against migrant workers who made the World Cup possible,” it said. their statement.
“FIFA should also support and contribute financially to initiatives designed to help and support migrant workers, such as the Migrant Workers’ Center recommended by the Building and Wood Workers’ International.”