Qatari authorities plan to confiscate flags of the LGTBIQ+ community to “protect” it during the World Cup
En Qatar same-sex relationships are prohibited. The next venue for the World Cup to be held in 2022 is not without controversy since the country's authorities have warned that LGBT flags will be confiscated as a “protection” measure. The decision has been heavily criticized as the FIFA had allowed pride flags in stadiums.
Because homosexual relations are condemned in Qatar even with death, the head of World Cup security, Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah al-Ansari called for the pride flags to be confiscated LGBTIQ + in the stadiums. The official explained the reason for the decision: “If a fan shows the rainbow flag and I take it off, it is not because I want to, or to insult him, but to protect him; because if it's not me someone else who is nearby can attack it. I cannot guarantee the behavior of an entire town".
It should be remembered that the person in charge of security of the Qatar World Cup 2022 is also part of National Antiterrorism Committee of the Arab country. The Qatari official indicated that if a person attends the field, it is understood that "he does not do it to demonstrate or to do a political act or something that crosses his mind".
sportwashing
He also referred to the strict laws that prevail in the region, especially those that have a strong religious imprint. “We can't change the laws, you can't change the religion for 28 days of World Cup”, he considered while asking to reserve the demonstrations to avoid “problems” between the visiting and local public.
Nasser al-Khater, Chief Executive of the World Cup Qatar 2022, recently said that «any fan of any gender, sexual orientation, religion or race can rest assured that Qatar is one of the safest countries in the world, and welcomes them«. However, this statement is contradicted by his warning: «LGBTI fans in Qatar will have the right to travel and watch the World Cup matches, they will have to avoid kissing or caressing each other in public«.
