STORY: Almost at the same time as the World Cup opening game in Qatar, the stadium of Westfalia Herne in the Ruhr area became a memorial. 6,500 fabric soccer balls and 20,000 grave candles were intended to commemorate the workers who died building the infrastructure for this World Cup. In addition, protests should be made against the handling of human rights in Qatar and the treatment of guest workers. The campaign was organized by Arbeiterwohlfahrt and the artist Volker-Johannes Trieb: “There is no exact number of dead and there probably never will be. I can’t find the words. Slavery that brings death and grief with it is disgusting . The games that start today are bought with suffering and death. It is the bloodiest World Cup ever.” Hundreds of volunteers, including students, had prepared the action on Sunday. Qatar has been heavily criticized for human rights issues and the treatment of migrant workers. The government of the emirate had rejected large parts of the criticism. “We are involved here because we want to protest against the World Cup in Qatar. Because we think that violating human rights is simply absurd. And something has to be done about it.” “I think it’s absurd that Fifa is firstly holding a football World Cup in winter and secondly that, although they knew that nothing had changed over the last few years, they still stuck to it. I think that So an absolute disgrace.” The action on Sunday was supported by the band “Westwärts”. They performed their song “No to World Cup in Qatar”.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
