GERMANY PUB OWNERS BOYCOTT QATAR WORLD CUP TELECASTS

Tue 01 November 2022:

Some pub owners in Germany will not be showing matches of the upcoming Qatar World Cup, saying they took the decision from “an ethical standpoint” given the Gulf State’s record on human rights Reuters reports.

Qatar, the first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup, has come under intense international pressure for its treatment of foreign workers and restrictive social laws.

Disquiet over the country’s human rights record has led to calls for teams and officials to boycott the games at the 20 November – 18 December tournament.

“Too many human rights were violated and from an ethical standpoint, I can’t justify it,” Fanny Delaune, owner of “Babel” sports bar in Bonn, told Reuters.

“Some understand it and others will watch, anyway, but ultimately, it’s my bar and my decision.”

Tobias Epping, who owns “Die Wache” bar, will also do the same.

SMEAR CAMPAIGNS AGAINST QATAR SINCE WINNING THE BID TO HOST THE WORLD CUP, EMIR SAYS

“Not just me, but also my regular customers who I asked to vote on Facebook and Instagram decided not to show the World Cup because there was a point when we said ‘enough’,” he said.

“The number of workers killed went beyond 15,000, stadiums are air conditioned during times like these and you can’t even drink a beer, which for me as a bar owner obviously is a part of it: no. We can no longer support that.

“From an economic point of view: was this a smart decision? Probably not. But at least you can go to a bar with a clean conscience …”

A female fan, who did not share her name, said she would support the boycott.

“Even if Qatar had great stadiums and fantastically paid workers, in any case a World Cup during the winter is stupid,” she said.

“But in this case, it’s totally unacceptable. I don’t feel like watching and I fully support a boycott. I won’t be watching.”

Smear campaign

Last month, Emir of Qatar stressed that since his country won the honour of hosting the World Cup, it has been subjected to an unprecedented campaign, which no host country has been exposed to, and initially, Qatar dealt with the matter in good faith, and even considered that some criticism is positive and useful.

“But it soon became clear to us that the campaign continues, expands and includes fabrication and double standards, until it reached an amount of ferocity that brought up many questions, unfortunately, about the real reasons and motives behind this campaign.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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