Paris joins Qatar World Cup 2022 boycott
Paris has joined other French cities in refusing to set up fan zones and giant screens for the Qatar World Cup 2022.
The city cited human rights and environmental concerns in the host nation.
Paris follows fellow French cities Lille, Marseille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Reims in the boycott.
Many politicians and leaders are concerned over workers’ rights in Qatar; the alleged high number of deaths among foreign labourers; and the environmental impact of the stadiums, all equipped with outdoor air conditioning.
Others are pointing to the financial impact as much as human rights in Qatar. “It seemed incongruous to us to risk this kind of expense at a time when we are trying to make economies to absorb the growing cost of energy,” said the mayor of Angoulême Xavier Bonnefont, citing a giant screen cost of “several tens of thousands of euros”.
“In any case frankly in winter I don’t think there would have been many people turning up. The public will be just as happy in a bar.”