Activist Peter Tatchell arrested for staging protest against anti-gay regime in Qatar ahead of 2022 FIFA World Cup

LGBTQ+ activist Peter Tatchell has been arrested following his protest relating to gay protest in Qatar, less than a month before the FIFA World Cup begins.

According to Sport Bible, Tatchell's protest was the first of its kind in the strictly religious gulf state. The British activist staged a peaceful protest in the nation to highlight the poor human rights that gay people suffer from in Qatar.

Tatchell was wearing a t-shirt that read “#QatarAntiGay” and also displayed a white placard that read “Qatar arrests, jails & subjects LGBTs to ‘conversion.” Homosexual activity and same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar and according to The Human Dignity Trust, anyone caught could receive the death penalty.

The decision to award Qatar the FIFA World Cup in 2010 has remained a hugely controversial decision, with human rights issues towards migrant workers and gay people a major concern. Tatchell had announced that he had been arrested by authorities but was later released.

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British LGBTQ+ activist releases statement following Qatar arrest prior to FIFA World Cup

Tatchell had released a statement in which he explained his actions. He feels that it is not morally correct to host such a big tournament in Qatar, as the country is trying to take part in Sportswashing.

In a statement, Tatchell said (via the aforementioned Sport Bible report):

“There can be no normal sporting relations with an abnormal regime like Qatar. It is a homophobic, sexist and racist dictatorship. Qatar cannot be allowed to sportswash its reputation. It is using the World Cup to enhance its international image."

"I did this protest to shine a light on Qatar’s human rights abuses against LGBT+ people, women, migrant workers and liberal Qataris. I am supporting their brave battle against tyranny.”

As per The Sun, Qatar denied arresting the 70-year-old protestor, to which Tatchell released another statement, which read:

“A colleague and I were held by police and state security services for 49 minutes. Photos and videos of the protest on a mobile phone were deleted by police and the detainees were not allowed to leave."

"We were interrogated about our trip. Then we were told we must be on our onward flight to Sydney. It’s a shame the Qatari government is trying to deflect attention from their diabolical human rights abuses by misrepresenting a peaceful protestor.”

Tatchell was arrested for a similar incident in 2018 in Moscow shortly before the FIFA World Cup took place in Russia.