Thousands of migrant workers marched in Doha on Friday, wearing the colors of the teams of Argentina, Brazil or the United Kingdom, to celebrate the World Cup nine days before the FIFA World Cup, explains a correspondent for
the AFP
on site.
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This is a rare event in this small Gulf emirate, where gatherings are generally not tolerated, especially in the heart of the capital.
“
The police have been informed in advance
,”
one of the organizers of the march, who requested anonymity , told
AFP .
Members of the police also framed the parade of supporters, wearing blue and white jerseys from Argentina or yellow from Brazil.
The parade passed in front of the royal palace, where it is usually forbidden to take photos.
Brazil celebrated in Qatar.
HAMAD I MOHAMMED / REUTERS
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Many migratory movements in Qatar
Migrants represent more than 80% of Qatar's 2.8 million inhabitants.
They are mainly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal but also from the Philippines and African countries such as Kenya and Uganda.
This rich gas state is regularly criticized by NGOs for the treatment of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers on the major construction sites of the World Cup (November 20-December 18), whose organization has highlighted the breaches of their rights and led to reforms from 2018.
"
Foreign workers in Qatar love football and they have bought a large number of tickets
" for the World Cup, the organizer said.
"
It's a day of joy for us,"
rejoices Rajesh, one of the supporters on site.
"It's not about politics, we're only going to sing for football, especially for Lionel Messi.
»
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“
That's our freedom of expression,”
says Aju, another supporter of the Argentinian team.
“The working conditions are of course difficult (…) but the World Cup is a unique event.
»
At the end of August, the Qatari authorities had expelled dozens of foreign workers who blocked traffic in front of the company for which they work to claim their unpaid wages.
They were charged with "
breaking public safety laws
".