On Monday evening, the journalist Jon Pagh was to make a TV feature for Danish TV 2 before Denmark meets Tunisia in the first game on Tuesday. Pagh had borrowed a “OneLove” armband from the director of the Danish Football Association, Peter Møller – the same one that Denmark’s captain Simon Kjær used against Croatia earlier this year – and wanted to use it to illustrate what the main theme was in Qatar on Monday. Earlier on Monday, Fifa made threats of sporting penalties if captains wore rainbow armbands during matches in the World Cup. Then Pagh was stopped by police officers. – I was actually completely shocked. Standing in it was uncomfortable, says Pagh to news after the incident took place. He is shaken by the situation, and wonders what could have happened if he hadn’t left. Not experienced before The hotel was out in the desert, about half an hour from the center of Doha, and there were only Pagh and the photographer present, together with five police officers. Pagh stood in front of the camera with the armband on, and it didn’t take long before two police officers came and stood behind the photographer, and started pointing at Pagh. RAINBOW COLORS: Jon Pagh shows off the armband he used for news. Photo: news He was then told that he had to go away, and the journalist gradually realized that it was the armband that caused trouble. – They start by saying welcome to Qatar and that he respects me and where I come from, but that I must take off the armband, says Pagh. – So I ask “should I take the armband off”? It was clear that he would like to say it respectfully, that it is not allowed to wear it in Qatar and that I therefore had to take it off. As Danes, or as Europeans, it is shocking to experience. And I know why, it’s because it’s a sign of homosexuality, he says. MORE REACTIONS: The BBC’s football expert Alex Scott also took action after Fifa said no to the use of the rainbow armband during the World Cup. Here from the broadcast to the BBC on the inner lane. Photo: BBC Fearing a bigger reaction, Pagh refused to take off the armband. – Even with the fact that he realized that I had no intention of taking it off, and then he told me that he would find another solution to it, and walked away. After Pagh and the photographer finished filming, Pagh tried to make contact with the police officer who asked him to take it off. – So I asked where he was, and then they said that it was their boss and that he had gone to get some others. Then I could also see from a long distance that he was walking together with a group of men in white dresses. Then I thought that I would rather get away from there and into Doha, rather than stand there and discuss with them or what else they were planning to do, says Pagh. – Did they fear that the situation would escalate? – I don’t want to overdramatize it, but I had no need for the situation to develop. We have tried to meet the locals with as much respect as possible, and have also experienced respect on the opposite side. In that way, it was a little shocking to experience that it was a tiny rainbow flag that was needed for us to have such an experience, says Pagh. Uncertain about further use – How did the incident affect you? – It makes me think a little more about the fact that we mustn’t get too relaxed down here. I was a little too sure that everything is like home, and it clearly isn’t. We got clear proof of that tonight, he says. He emphasizes that he does not normally think that journalists should exercise activism, and he had no intention of making a fuss. – The last thing I want is to provoke the situation, but I thought it was relevant to show off the armband. I never in my wildest imagination thought that they would discover it, nor did I entertain a thought that they would come over and ask me to take it off, he says. – Will you wear the armband again? – I don’t know that. Personally, I would have nothing against it, but it is something I have to discuss with my editor and colleagues. We will bring the armband to the match tomorrow, but I would like to wish that it is the Danish national team that wears it, and not me, he says.
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Here, a Danish journalist is stopped by Qatari police – was asked to remove the rainbow – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
