Bizarre rally shortly before the World Cup
Thousands of migrant workers demonstrate in Qatar
11/12/2022 4:54 am
The World Cup host country Qatar has been criticized for its human rights situation. A rally in the capital Doha, attended by thousands of migrant workers, is all the more surprising. However, the meeting has little to do with a protest action.
Around a week before the start of the soccer World Cup in Qatar, thousands of migrant workers took part in a World Cup rally in the capital Doha. People with flags and shirts from Argentina, Brazil and England gathered on the beach promenade for the march, which also passed the Royal Palace.
Demonstrations and rallies are rare in Qatar and are usually accompanied by tight security. The event was organized via social media. “The police were informed in advance,” said one of the march organizers, who wished to remain anonymous.
The participants came mainly from the Indian state of Kerala, which is a football stronghold. She also makes up a large part of Qatar’s Indian community, which numbers about 750,000 people. The Gulf Emirate has a total population of around 2.8 million people, more than 80 percent of whom come from abroad.
“This is a day of joy for us”
“The foreign workers in Qatar love football and have bought a lot of tickets,” said one of the march organizers. “This is a day of joy for us,” said a man who called himself Rajesh. Most marchers declined to give their full names to prevent their employers from finding out they were at the rally. A participant named Aju said: “Of course some of us have tough jobs, we hear the stories, but the World Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime event.”
As the World Cup host, Qatar has been criticized for the human rights situation in the Gulf Emirate. The World Cup starts on November 20th. It is the first time that the soccer World Cup will be held in an Arab country – and the first time not in the summer but at the end of the year.