Danish journalists received an apology Wednesday after being threatened by authorities while broadcasting live from Qatar’s capital Doha, where much of the 2022 World Cup events are being held.
Qatar’s Supreme Committee apologized to the crew from TV2 Denmark for threats lobbed at reporter Rasmus Tantholdt while the crew was filming for the tournament next to the Chedi Hotel at Katara Cultural Village, Reuters reported.
Tantholdt was reporting live late Tuesday night when three of Qatar’s security officials drove up on an electric cart, similar to a golf cart, and interrupted the broadcast, according to The Guardian. Authorities blocked the camera during the incident, but Tantholdt can be heard pushing back against the security officials’ actions.
“You invited the whole world to come here, why can’t we film? It’s a public place,” Tantholdt said, according to The Guardian. “You can break the camera, you want to break it? You are threatening us by smashing the camera?”
We now got an apology from Qatar International Media Office and from Qatar Supreme Commitee.
This is what happened when we were broadcasting live for @tv2nyhederne from a roundabout today in Doha. But will it happen to other media as well? #FIFAWorldCupQatar2022 pic.twitter.com/NSJj50kLql— Rasmus Tantholdt TV2 (@RasmusTantholdt) November 15, 2022
The Supreme Committee later said the TV2 team was “mistakenly interrupted,” Reuters reported. (RELATED: ROOKE: Where Did All The Good Men Go?)
“Upon inspection of the crew’s valid tournament accreditation and filming permit, an apology was made to the broadcaster by on-site security before the crew resumed their activity,” the Supreme Committee’s statement read, according to the report. “Tournament organisers have since spoken to the journalist and issued an advisory to all entities to respect the filming permits in place for the tournament.”
The Danish national football team have been outspoken critics of Qatar’s treatment of workers in the lead-up to the World Cup, including promising to wear uniforms that display a more subdued version of the manufacturer’s logo and badge as a protest, The Guardian reported.