DOHA (Dispatches) – Qatar has launched a review of its investments in London after the city’s transport authorities effectively suspended all advertisements from the Persian Gulf country following World Cup controversies, the Financial Times reported.
Transport for London (TFL) halted ads from Qatar on buses and the underground train system following criticism of Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers.
In response, Qatar has placed its future investment strategy toward London under review and is “considering investment opportunities in other UK cities and home nations”, a person involved in the review told the FT.
The ban was “another blatant example of double standards and virtue signaling to score cheap political points around the Qatar World Cup,” the source added.
In 2019, TFL said it would suspend adverts from several countries - Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Pakistan, Qatar, the UAE, Mauritania, and Afghanistan.
However, some Qatar ads were still allowed since then but the TFL decided to implement the ban fully on the Persian Gulf state this week.
Pressure mounted on the TFL after the World Cup started in Qatar and several adverts ran on the London transport network. The move, driven by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, has apparently annoyed Doha, which has faced fierce criticism ahead of and during the World Cup.
While TFL has banned adverts from countries with a poor record on human rights, it has not taken any action against certain other countries despite their poor human rights record.
Nor has it undertaken a review against the Zionist regime, whose actions in the occupied Palestinian territories have been labeled as “apartheid” by human rights organizations.
The person involved in the Qatar review told FT that Doha interpreted the ban “as a message from the mayor’s office that Qatari business is not welcome in London”.
Qatar is a major investor in the UK and London in particular. In the last two decades, it has acquired major assets through its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). The QIA did not respond to request for comment on the London investment review.