Qatar official for ban
“Attacks at World Cup possible because of rainbow flags”
4/1/2022, 2:42 p.m
At the European Championships last year, the rainbow flag was a faithful companion for many fans. A Qatari security officer is now warning against showing the symbol for sexual and gender diversity at the World Cup – because he thinks attacks on the respective fans are likely.
A Qatari security officer has spoken out against showing rainbow flags at the World Cup in Qatar – because he fears possible attacks. If a fan “shows the rainbow flag and I take it away from him, it’s not because I really want to take it to offend him, it’s to protect him,” Major General Abdulasis Abdullah Al Ansari told the AP. “Because if it’s not me, someone might attack him. I can’t guarantee everyone’s behavior. And I’ll tell him, ‘Please, there’s no reason to show the flag here’.”
Al Ansari is, among other things, the chairman of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee in the Qatar Interior Ministry. The rainbow flag stands worldwide as a symbol for the acceptance of sexual and gender diversity.
No place for LGBTI+ in Qatar
The World Cup host Qatar is not only criticized by international organizations because of the human rights situation and the conditions for foreign workers. Amnesty International recently ruled that women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI+) “continue to be discriminated against both by law and in everyday life”. Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino recently said: “Everyone will see that everyone is welcome here in Qatar, even if we are talking about LGBTQ+.” In the past, FIFA had emphasized that rainbow flags were allowed in the stadium. The Qatari World Cup organizers said they would respect the world governing body’s guidelines in this regard.
Al Ansari said he does not recommend that LGBTI+ fans stay away from Qatar. “Book a room together, sleep together, it’s none of our business,” he said. Anyone who wants to demonstrate their views on the LGBTI situation should do so in a society “where this is accepted”.