Qatar World Cup: UK Government misfire again
James Cleverly’s comments about LGBT+ fans at the Qatar World Cup are as irresponsible as one could expect of this Conservative government.
Addressing concerns over the potential treatment of homosexual fans in Qatar, Cleverly – the Foreign Secretary, said: “One of the things I would say to the football fans is, you know, please do be respectful of the host nation.”
Cleverly’s talk of ‘respect’ is confusing and ambiguous. Is the Foreign Secretary suggesting that LGBT+ football fans should simply be ‘less gay’ if they travel to Qatar? Shadow Culture Secretary, Lucy Powell, accurately described Cleverly’s comments as “shockingly tone deaf”.
New Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, seemed to immediately distance himself from the Foreign Secretary’s remarks. Following Cleverly’s comments, a spokesperson for 10 Downing Street said: “We wouldn’t expect [LGBTQ fans] to compromise who they are and you’ll know the UK has very clear rules around this.”
So two contrasting statements from leading government figures. Is this the quickest U-turn in political history? Or is it the case that the UK government don’t have an official stance on how LGBT+ fans should behave if they travel to the World Cup?
Human Rights Watch, an organisation which has investigated alleged mistreatment of people by the Qatari government, recently expressed their disappointment with authorities in Qatar. Rasha Younes, an LGBT rights researcher for the organisation said: “While Qatar prepares to host the World Cup, security forces are detaining and abusing LGBT people simply for who they are, apparently confident that the security force abuses will go unreported and unchecked.
“Qatari authorities need to end impunity for violence against LGBT people. The world is watching.”
Qatar’s Penal Code punishes extramarital sex, including same-sex relations, with up to seven years in prison. Muslims can face the death penalty. These laws are enforced by the ‘Preventive Security Department’.
A transgender women from Qatar told the Human Rights Watch: “They [Preventive Security] are a mafia. They detained me twice, once for two months in a solitary cell underground, and once for six weeks.
“They beat me every day and shaved my hair. They also made me take off my shirt and took a picture of my breasts. I suffered from depression because of my detention. I still have nightmares to this day, and I’m terrified of being in public.”
Is this the sort of behaviour Cleverly wants English fans to show respect too?
The Qatari government can preach as much as they like about how it will be safe for LGBT fans to attend the World Cup, but what has been witnessed in the country in the build-up to the tournament is a disgrace.
Let’s be clear. FIFA’s decision to hand the World Cup to Qatar started this whole mess. The Foreign Secretary’s comments, however, seemed to almost condone Qatar’s laws.
Even if there is a relaxing of the application of Qatari law for the World Cup, that does not take away their consistent human rights abusing past.
All ten qualifying European nations have agreed that they will wear ‘One-Love’ armbands, in a stand against all forms of discrimination. It would seem Cleverly, who wants fans to “be respectful of the host nation”, would stand against this decision. Promoting inclusion in a country that has banned homosexuality hardly seems respectful?
The Foreign Secretary has embarrassed himself, hardly a first for a government who have had three different prime ministers in the last four months. His comments are not only out of touch, they set a dangerous precedent that human rights abuses will be ignored by the UK.
