It is forbidden to be gay. It is forbidden to drink alcohol in public places. It is illegal to have sex outside of marriage. Dressing “challengingly”, such as going shirtless, is seen as an insult. This is the country that will now host the World Cup in football. Qatar is a conservative oil state where laws and norms are completely different from those in Western countries. This can present major challenges for both visiting supporters and the police in the World Cup country. – We do not know what kind of offense will lead to one being arrested or deported or what will lead to one having to enter a court case. The communication to Fifa is very unclear, says director of the European supporters’ union, FSE, Ronan Evain. At the same time, Qatar has a plan. A plan that states how they will help imprisoned supporters out of the country. And a plan on how to avoid people being arrested at all. The plan involves, among other things, visiting police from qualified countries, as well as a very special crisis centre. Crisis center in the middle of Doha So how will the security be for visiting supporters? – Minor infringements will not lead to a fine or arrest, but the police are instructed to approach the person and ask him to comply with the law. People who take off their T-shirt will be asked to put it back on. There will be some tolerance, an unnamed source familiar with the security arrangements in Qatar told Reuters in September. According to the source, the police must therefore have more tolerance than usual. Nevertheless, Qatar is preparing for something to happen to visiting supporters. news, DR and SVT have contacted the embassies of all WC-qualified countries. All embassies that have responded to our inquiries say the same thing: They will be part of an international consular center during the World Cup. In this centre, in the middle of Doha, the embassies will have direct contact with the police and prosecutors, in addition to being able to help supporters with other consular services. ENTRANCE: 50 days before the World Cup there is a large sign with the inscription “International Consular Service Center” on the wall of the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news The aim is, among other things, to be quickly notified if supporters are arrested in Qatar and to be able to help them as quickly as possible. – The consular center will facilitate cooperation between the participating countries and local authorities, writes the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an email. Can’t recommend women to travel When the security chief in Qatar, Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari, was asked what security will be like for LGBT supporters, he replied to the AP as follows: SECURITY CHIEF: Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari. Photo: Darko Bandic / AP – If a supporter has a rainbow flag with him and I take it from him, it’s not because I want to offend him, but to protect him. If we don’t take it, someone around may attack him. I cannot vouch for the behavior of all people,” Al-Ansari said. Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has for a long time tried to get insurance and guarantees from Fifa and the WC organizer related to security for supporters. They are still not sure that everyone is as welcome as they say. – I cannot in good faith recommend LGBT fans, disabled fans or even women to go. I cannot say that it is a safe WC, because there are no clear, distinct and measurable promises from the organiser. Everything is unclear. We are asked to trust their word. But when it comes to Fifa and Qatar, it is difficult to just trust them, says director Evain. Sending extra diplomats The Swiss embassy confirms that the initiative for this crisis center comes from the WC organizer in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior in Qatar. – We have intensified cooperation with other embassies in Doha and we attend briefings from the authorities in Qatar. Preparations related to crisis management are also something we are working on, the embassy said in an email to news. Other measures that the embassies have initiated include more diplomats in Qatar during the World Cup, as well as increased preparedness at the various embassies. INSIDE: This is what the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center looked like during the Fifa Congress in March. Photo: HAMAD I MOHAMMED / Reuters In Great Britain, the authorities have also taken action ahead of the World Cup. The authorities have confiscated the passports of 1,300 hooligans to prevent them from going to Qatar. The list of those who have had their passports confiscated also includes people who have caused trouble in the past and are likely to cause trouble again. – As with all events of this size, we work closely with the authorities to ensure the safety of British citizens traveling and to help create a successful event, says Secretary of the British Home Office, Suella Braverman, to The Guardian. We have contacted the WC organizer several times to get an answer about the diplomatic crisis centre. Several embassies thus confirm that it is the organizer behind this centre, but the organizer has not wished to comment on the matter. When news visited the crisis center in Doha at the beginning of October, we were not allowed to enter. Own police forces One thing is how to prepare to help arrested citizens, another question is how Qatar will handle all the thousands of supporters who come to the country during the World Cup. – There are different cultures, so communication becomes important, says Adrian Dinca. He is head of Europol’s committee for security at sporting events. The group he leads has worked closely with Qatar for the past ten years, precisely to ensure the safety of visiting supporters. Dinca has worked with such questions for several major sporting events in the past, but does not hide that it has been extra demanding to work with Qatar. PROMISES: Fifa President Gianni Infantino and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, have promised that all fans will be welcome during the World Cup. Photo: Darko Bandic / AP – Of course, you can’t expect everything to work because they haven’t done anything like this (arrange the WC, editor’s note) before. But they have had ten years to prepare and they have made study visits around the world and seen how we work, he says. All the eligible countries have been offered to send their own police forces to Qatar. Denmark is among those who have chosen to accept it. The police are now preparing to familiarize themselves with the legislation and how they will enforce the various laws in Qatar during the World Cup. – Danish police will, as in other final rounds, be present during the World Cup in football in Qatar. The primary tasks for the seconded employees are to have contact with Danish fans if there is a need for advice or guidance and to act as a link between Danish fans and the authorities. Furthermore, the employees will solve tasks in the IPCC (International Police Coordination Center) in collaboration with other participating countries’ police authorities, Danish police inform.
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Qatar sets up a diplomatic crisis center for imprisoned football supporters during the World Cup – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
