Footage of a live broadcast on Danish TV shows Qatar World Cup officials threatening aa presenter whilst he is live on air, adding further fuel to controversies building up to the tournament.
The group, some of whom are believed to be security staff, interrupted the Danish network TV2 on Tuesday night mid-way through a piece-to-camera, ordering them to stop filming immediately.
The clip has quickly gone viral amongst football fans and Qatar-sceptics largely due to the fact they threatened to smash their camera equipment if they didn’t comply with their demands.
In the video which you can see for yourself below, Rasmus Tantholdt can be heard switching to English in order to reason with the disgruntled staff, and at one point says, “you have invited the whole world here. Why can’t we film? It is a public place.”
We now got an apology from Qatar International Media Office and from Qatar Supreme Commitee.
This is what happened when we were broadcasting live for @tv2nyhederne from a roundabout today in Doha. But will it happen to other media as well? #FIFAWorldCupQatar2022 pic.twitter.com/NSJj50kLql— Rasmus Tantholdt TV2 (@RasmusTantholdt) November 15, 2022
Even after revealing press accreditations which prove their permission to film in Qatar, one man can be seen grabbing on to the camera and threatening to break it, which the Danish presenter clearly outlined by repeating it for the viewers at home.
Organisers in Qatar have been forced to apologise following the incident, and Tantholdt has since come out to address the situation whilst speaking to Norwegian TV.
“I don’t think the message from the top in Qatar has reached all the security guards.
“Therefore, one can argue that there are some who have misunderstood the situation, but at the same time it tells a lot about what it is like in Qatar. There it is that you can be attacked and threatened when you report as a free media.
‘This is not a free and democratic country. My experience after visiting 110 countries in the world is: The more you have to hide, the more difficult it is to report from there.”
It is worth noting that the Norwegian channel he spoke to, NRK, had two of their journalists imprisoned for 30 hours last year in Qatar over claims that the pair had been filming while trespassing on private land.
Just days before the World Cup is due to begin, this is yet another blemish on a tournament shrouded in concerns over free speech, discrimination and treatment of migrant workers.
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