Footage has emerged of Qatar allegedly building walls in an attempt to hide poorer neighbourhoods ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
Qatar has already suffered stark criticism for multiple human rights abuses including the poor treatment of migrant workers and the criminalisation of LGBT+ people.
It now appears officials are attempting to hide the inequality in some areas of the nation.
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In a video posted on TikTok and shared on Reddit, a driver appears to be travelling down a Qatari road with a long wall placed up beside it.
However, the driver comes up to a gap in the wall where a less privileged area of living can be seen.
As the video progresses it is clear that the wall is still under construction and will likely continue to be worked on in order to block out the gap.
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The footage comes less than a month away from the kick-off of the FIFA World Cup on November 21.
According to FIFA, it is anticipated that over one million spectators will attend the tournament’s 64 matches.
With many foreigners visiting the country for the first time, Qatar could allegedly be attempting to hide the true conditions for many living in the country.
Unsurprisingly, people online were appalled at the attempt.
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One made a tongue-in-cheek comment, saying: “Remember children.. if you don’t see it, it doesn’t exist.”
Another wrote: “Yes, spend money on building walls. That’ll help them get out of poverty.”
A third said: “It's a definite boycott from me.”
A fourth added: “The money spent on the walls could have been used to repair and repaint the buildings, it would have been even cheaper.”
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As the Telegraph reported at the time, Brazil undertook a similar idea in order to hide the favelas ahead of the 2016 Olympic games.
They erected a 10-foot high barrier that stretched for five miles along the motorway out of the international airport in order to hide the communities living in inequality.
The Qatar World Cup has perhaps been one of the most controversial in history, and it hasn’t even kicked off yet.
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The Socceroos became the FIFA World Cup team to put a statement in protest against Qatar’s human rights record yesterday (October 27).
A collective statement by all 16 players was delivered line by line through a video message in which the country’s poor record on migrant workers and same-sex relationships was called out.
Topics: Football, FIFA, Football World Cup, Qatar
Jayden Collins