Britain’s foreign secretary said gay fans in Qatar should “respect the host country”

Conservative James Cleverly, UK Foreign Secretary, was criticized after Advertising On the gay fans who will travel to Qatar to watch the World Cup. According to Cleverly, gay fans will have to “respect the host country.” The minister motivated his position as follows: “I spoke to the Qatari authorities about the fact that they would have to receive homosexuals, and they promised me that they would compromise so that people who were committing a crime according to their laws would not be arrested. My goal is that everyone who goes to Qatar is safe, and they can Enjoy. However, this means that they will also have to make compromises, since we are talking about an Islamic country, a country that is founded on laws and cultural norms that are very different from ours. I think we need flexibility on both sides.”

As mentioned, these words sparked many controversy and criticism. One of these came from Lucy Powell, the Minister of Sports at shadow government Opposition and member of the Labor and Cooperative Party: “Football and sports should be open to everyone. However, many fans will feel they have not been well received and will not participate in the event in Qatar, due to the lack of respect for human rights, workers and members of the LGBTQI+ community. In this sense, the words cleverly ignore the situation completely.”

Another attack on the minister came from Peter Tatchell, one of the most active activists in the LBGTQI+ community: Tatchell said he was arrested and then interrogated in Qatar while organizing a protest for gay rights, and later added that “the UK government should use its power to condemn abuses.” The appalling human rights that the Qatari regime commits every day. We must all talk about it, otherwise the World Championships will allow Qatar to do the sports washing: So I think Cleverly should take advantage of the opportunity and publicly condemn what is happening in this case. All fans, not just People from the LGBTQI+ community, boycotting the World Cup and using their social media to amplify shocking human rights violations by the State of Qatar.”