When Germany starts their Qatar World Cup campaign next week against Japan, the projector screens at Berlin’s Fargo bar will be in their rolled-up position.
The bar won’t open until an hour after the match ends, even though its regular opening hours are based around the soccer match schedules.
Joschik Pech, a spokesperson for the Fargo bar, stated to AFP that the World Cup should not be held in a country whose main purpose is “concealment.” He said that Qatar was chosen for this specific reason to make the nation appear different than it actually is to other countries.
“It would not be enjoyable for us to watch the games in a country where people cannot express their sexuality freely,” he said.
Dozens of bars across Germany have pledged to boycott the showpiece soccer event in the nation, including several in Berlin.
The global press and activists are criticizing Qatar for its inhumane treatment of migrant workers, women, and the LGBTQ community as it prepares to host the World Cup. Most of these attacks have been met with anger from Qatar.
The chief World Cup organizer said that the reason why Qatar was attacked is that it “competed as equals” and got the rights.
Several other public viewing areas in Berlin, including the popular “Fan Mile” near the Brandenburg Gate, have canceled their events. The officials allege that adverse weather conditions and the risk of COVID infection were factors behind their reasoning.
Members of Germany’s activist soccer fan culture have been particularly outspoken about the event, with supporters of several high-profile clubs including Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Union Berlin, and St Pauli urging boycotts.
Fargo says that they will be holding several events parallel to World Cup matches, including human rights lectures and group trips to amateur and women’s soccer matches during the month-long tournament.
Pech says that although they anticipate a loss in sales and profits, he doesn’t think it will be bad enough to put the pub out of business. “We are also offering an alternative program to attract customers.”
Sebastian, a self-described active football fan told AFP he supported the boycott and would do the same, saying Fargo’s decision is not an unpopular one among customers.
“Although I would like to watch it, unfortunately, I won’t be,” he said. “I’ve watched every World Cup played in my lifetime up until now.”
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“It’s unacceptable that people are freezing in their apartments due to the energy policy here in Germany while matches are being played in stadiums with artificial cooling.”
Stella, another customer of Fargo, told AFP that she will also skip the event this year. She said she is hoping that fans’ boycotting would make people question more critically about World Cup hosts in the future.
It’s hard to believe that it took until now for people to start boycotting the World Cup. Recognizing the problems and difficulties earlier would have made a big difference.
The 22-year-old woman remains unclear about her decision though. She looked back on past World Cups with fond memories and realized that she may be tempted to change her mind.
“If my friends invited me to watch the final game with them, I might have had a difficult time saying no because it would be really fun.”
Laughing, she said, “I don’t think we’ll play well at all so I doubt it will be an issue.”
While some Berlin bars, like Tante Kaethe, are airing the games, they’re also using this opportunity to bring awareness to other important issues such as human rights abuses. For instance, you’ll find a photo exhibition depicting the poor living conditions of Nepalese guest workers who were exploited during Qatar’s stadium construction.
El-Khatib expressed that human rights violations in Qatar were often discussed between him and his regular customers at the bar he opened in 1996, but he never considered a boycott before.
Salama stated that “five or six regulars” will not attend the event, but other guests are still coming. He believes the discussion is occurring too late and should have happened four years ago. He finds it pointless to discuss boycotting of the event only two weeks before it begins.
Source: Japan Today
