SECURITY officials in Qatar have been filmed threatening to smash a TV news camera during a live broadcast.
Shocking footage shows the moment a Danish reporter was on air when he was approached by a group of men in a buggy, just under a week before the World Cup starts in the country.
The incident comes as Qatar’s human rights record and its restrictions on media have been under intense scrutiny.
In the video, Rasmus Tantholdt tells the men “we’re live on Danish television” as one of the men puts his hand over the camera.
“You invited the whole world to come here, why can’t we film it’s a public place,” says Tantholdt.
The reporter then shows the officials his accreditation, which says allows the crew to film anywhere they want.
As the exchange becomes more heated Tantholdt says “you can break the camera, you want to break the camera? So you’re threatening us by smashing the camera?”.
Tantholdt later revealed he has now been given an apology by the Qatar Supreme Committee, the body which is organising the World Cup.
“I don’t think the message from the top in Qatar has reached all the security guards,” he told Norwegian news outlet NRK.
“Therefore, one can argue that there are some who have misunderstood the situation, but at the same time it tells a lot about what it is like in Qatar.
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“There you can be attacked and threatened when you report as a free media.”
Tantholdt said his apology was “nice enough” but what happened reveals “what country we are in”.
“This is not a free and democratic country,” he added.
“My experience after visiting 110 countries in the world is the more you have to hide, the more difficult it is to report from there.”
A statement from the Supreme Committee said the Danish broadcast crew were “mistakenly interrupted” during a live broadcast.
“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.
“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 incident has revisited a subject that has been sensitive for tournament organisers, who have denied claims there are strict limits on where media can film in Qatar.
It comes after FIFA rejected Denmark’s request to train at the World Cup in shirts with the words “human rights for all” on them.
The Danish Football Association (DBU) said in 2021 that their two training kit sponsors would make way for messages critical of Qatar.
Qatar has come under intense pressure over its treatment of foreign workers and restrictive social laws, leading many participating teams to raise concerns.
There has also been scrutiny of its brutal laws that could see fans face being thrown behind bars or flogged over minor offences.
Boozing, swearing, taking photos and even having sex could all land Brits jail sentences.
Qatar still has capital punishment – and legal medieval punishments include flogging and stoning, although the latter has never been used.