Dansk TV 2 reporter Rasmus Tanholdt was on live TV from Qatar when security guards entered the picture.
– Now we are forbidden to film, we hear the journalist say as the man covers the camera.
– I invited the whole world here. Why can’t we take pictures? It’s a public place, Tantoltt continues, but unheard of by the Qataris.
The Danes show their press accreditation and say they have permission to photograph. Then the guards menacingly follow him. If they don’t stop shooting, they will destroy the camera.
– Do you want to destroy the camera? he asks as the guard grabs the camera.
It is not a free and democratic country
On the phone from Qatar, Tantooldt said he was surprised by the response of the guards, whom he had never experienced as aggressive before.
– I do not think that the message from the summit in Qatar reached all the security guards. Therefore, one could argue that someone misunderstood the situation, but at the same time it tells us a lot about what it is like in Qatar. You can be attacked and threatened when you report as a free media, Tanholdt tells NRK.
Suspended: Danish journalist Rasmus Tantholdt was interrupted live by Qatari guards.
He says he has already received an apology from Qatar’s International Communications Office and Qatar’s Supreme Council.
– That’s nice enough, but it still tells us about the country we’re in. This is not a free and democratic country, says the Danish journalist and continues:
– My experience after visiting 110 countries of the world is this: the more I have to hide, the more difficult it is to report from there.
Game of Thrones star reacts
The journalist’s video, which was already interrupted, managed to go viral on Twitter. Danish Game of Thrones star Belo Asbek was among those reacting.
– What does TV 2 Denmark have to do with this? You show heroism. But you can’t report on playoffs without permission? It must be weird to pay a fortune for the rights, and then have one of your employees go through this? Asked.
In Denmark, as in Norway, there was a debate about boycotting the FIFA World Cup and whether it was right to show the championship.
NRK asked the Qatari authorities why the Danish journalists were suspended and if this was something that would happen frequently during the World Cup. We haven’t received an answer yet.
Long history of problems
NRK has previously had significant problems reporting flights to Qatar. In November 2021, NRK journalists Halvor Ekeland and Lokman Ghorbani arrested and imprisoned in the country. Sahrawi state authorities claimed it was filmed on private land.
DANSK STJERNE: Pilou Asbæk played Euron Greyjoy in the hit HBO hit Game of Thrones.
Photo: Joel C Ryan/AP
During a visit to NRK in October, we stayed Repeatedly banned from filming. This is despite the fact that both FIFA and the World Cup organization have repeatedly promised that it will be easier to work as a journalist in Qatar.
Qatar has come under heavy criticism since winning the World Cup in 2010. Its human rights abuses and slavery-like treatment of migrant workers have brought the country under the scrutiny of the international community.
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