By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell book
CIA book - NY Mag FIFA Song I, II III Tale III IV
UN GATE & more, Dec 17 – For the FIFA World Cup that Qatar paid bribes to get, it issued restrictions on the media that go to cover it, including that journalists will not be allowed to film or photograph in "residential properties, private businesses and industrial zones."
Reporting on the deaths of migrant workers is not permitted.
When the Cup began on Nov 20, Qatar was listless against Ecuador, and its "fans" left early. On Nov 19, England blew out Iran as the Netherlands did Senegal. But the US was tied by Wales - and UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres slipped in, even more quiet than his visit to China's Genocide Games at the beginning of the year. He said nothing, and the UN Correspondents he lets into "his" briefing asked nothing.
On November 22 Inner City Press asked Guterres' spokespeople Farhan Haq, Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming: "Nov 22-1: AGAIN, On human rights-challenged FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when did SG Guterres decide to go? Why so little put out publicly? Since SG said nothing, was the trip paid for by him personally? If not, how much did it cost?"
No answer at all. In Doha, after another nil nil tie between Morocco and Croatia, Japan upset Germany 2-1. Spain laid a 7-0 licking on Costa Rica (which to its relative credit replied to Inner City Press), then Canada of censoring Bob Rae was beaten by Belgium which bragged about Devils amid Qatar's corruption.
On November 24 - Thanksgiving Day in the US - after another nil-nil tie between Uruguay and South Korea, Ghana put up more fight against the Portuguese than they do against Guterres at the UN. Thread - and Song II (Twitter) YouTube
On December 17 Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 for third place, and Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States Ambassador to the United Nations gushed, without a word about dead migrant workers or other issues, "it opens up Qatar for the world to see this country, to see the amazing things that are taking place here, the development that is taking place."
Like UNSG Antonio Guterres, with his wife Catarina Vaz Pinto looked but refused to answer Inner City Press' question about the 7000 migrant workers killed by Qatar which he silently visited, video here. This was 12 days after UNGA President Korosi held a "Civil Society Town Hall" with Inner City Press banned, audio here and nine days after Inner City Press appealed, here.
A Qatar 2022 haiku from Inner City Press:
Blood-soaked hosts lose two
As referee bribes fall through-
But own Guterres.
And World Cup of Blood I on Patreon here
II here; III here; IV here;
Song I
Qatar also bans filming in “restricted areas where filming requires prior permission” and at “any site with signage or security advising of no photography/videography."
Some who are criticizing these restrictions, however, say nothing when the United Nations does the same. Consider the reasons given by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric for having Inner City Press roughed up and banned from the UN, for three years and counting, from CJR:
"access is not a right, it’s a privilege,” Dujarric says. “None of this is happening now because of what he writes.” Dujarric says that Lee is often critical of fellow journalists; walking the halls in the evenings, he’ll live-stream running commentary criticizing other reporters. Not long ago, encountering a crew from Al Jazeera—which Lee believes has misled viewers about its connection to the Qatari government—Dujarric says that Lee Periscoped while shouting, “Fuck you!” repeatedly. (Lee says he was complaining that Dujarric had given the Al Jazeera crew a private interview, and excluded him.) “He creates an atmosphere of incivility within our working environment,” Dujarric says."
So Inner City Press is banned by MALU's Melissa Fleming because it filmed on the fourth (media) floor, and for what it said? Or for criticizing his and Guterres' relations with Qatar's Al Jazeera, which got the exclusive to Guterres' two stolen UNSG elections?
We'll have more on this.
***
Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.
Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
