Human Rights Activist Mario Perry Protests Qatar's Oppression of Sexual Minorities
Also Shows Solidarity with Anti-Government Protests in Ukraine and Iran
On the afternoon of the 28th (local time), the Group H second match of the 2022 Qatar World Cup between Portugal and Uruguay was held at Lusail Stadium in Qatar. A man holding a rainbow flag ran onto the field, causing the match to be interrupted. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] A human rights activist ran onto the field waving a rainbow flag symbolizing the LGBTQ+ community, causing the match to be temporarily halted. He was wearing a T-shirt showing solidarity with anti-government protests in Ukraine and Iran.
On the 28th (local time), the Group H second match between Portugal and Uruguay took place at Lusail National Stadium in Qatar. According to CNN, shortly after the second half began, human rights activist Mario Perry (35), wearing a Superman T-shirt, ran onto the field holding a rainbow-patterned flag. Perry was briefly chased by stadium security personnel before being caught and escorted out.
The rainbow flag he held represents solidarity with LGBTQ+ individuals and opposition to all forms of discrimination. Qatar, the host country of the World Cup, does not recognize LGBTQ+ rights and punishes homosexuality with imprisonment. In protest against Qatar’s human rights abuses, captains of seven European national football teams planned to wear rainbow armbands during matches, but the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) banned this, drawing criticism. Instead, just before the World Cup began, FIFA introduced a 'No Discrimination (#NoDiscrimination)' armband as a substitute and allowed rainbow hats and flags to be brought into the stadium.
The front and back of Perry’s T-shirt bore the phrases “Save Ukraine” and “Respect to Iranian Women,” respectively. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February, many civilians have lost their lives. According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 20th, over 8,300 civilians, including 437 children, have died in Ukraine, with 11,000 civilians injured. Additionally, the anti-government protests in Iran, which began following the death of Mahsa Amini (22) after being arrested by police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly, have continued for over two months.
Shortly after the incident, Perry posted on his Instagram, saying, “I was not detained. I am currently free,” and “I made my last dash on the football field.” He added, “I wanted to send a message to Iran, where women are not respected and friends are suffering,” and “FIFA, which banned the rainbow armband, cannot stop me?I expressed this like Robin Hood.” He also wrote, “We must save Ukraine. I spent a month in Kyiv and saw how much the Ukrainian people are suffering,” and “Breaking the rules for a greater cause is never a crime.”
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