Key Points
- An Australian man has gone viral after explaining what the Aboriginal flag is in a video at the FIFA World Cup.
- Suey, an Australian podcaster who travelled to Qatar for the World Cup, shared the video of his uncle on TikTok.
- NRL star Josh Addo-Carr shared an image of the men carrying the Aboriginal and Australian flags on Instagram.
A video of an Australian expatriate in Qatar explaining the symbolic significance of the Aboriginal flag to locals at a World Cup match has gone viral online.
Australian sports blogger Suey attended the Australia v Denmark match at Al Janoub Stadium on the evening of Wednesday 30 November (Thursday morning AEDT) with his uncle, who works in Qatar.
The pair brought an Aboriginal flag to the match and used the opportunity to explain to Qatari locals what the flag is and who it represents.
On Thursday night, Suey posted the video on his sports podcast TikTok, , which has since gone viral, garnering nearly 500,000 views and more than 55,000 likes as of Friday afternoon.
In the video, Suey's uncle is seen carrying the Aboriginal flag. When a Qatari man asks him what the flag is, he explains in Arabic that it is a flag that represents the original inhabitants of Australia.
"It is as though they are as the Palestinians of Australia," he said.
Palestinians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people often show solidarity with one another as they share similar colonial struggles with their homelands.
Suey's uncle goes on to explain the symbolism behind the red, yellow and black colours on the flag.
NRL star Josh Addo-Carr shared the image of Qatari and Australians carrying the Aboriginal and Australian flags at the Australia v Denmark match at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Source: Supplied / Ajibeh's Couch
He then explained the mistreatment of First Nations people and the pride they possess in having a flag that represents them.
"They were extremely, extremely mistreated," he said.
"Now they can raise their heads with their flag. They have a flag they can raise."
The man also showed his Australian flag, explaining that it is derived from the United Kingdom and called out a plea to recognise both the Aboriginal and Australian flags.
He said: "We recognise this [Australian flag], but recognise the original! Recognise the original!"
The pair had to explain to Qatari security officials what the Aboriginal flag was upon entering the stadium and waited around 10 minutes before receiving clearance.
An official FIFA briefing document seen by SBS News confirms that the Aboriginal flag is on the list of flags that are permitted at World Cup stadiums.
Other permitted flags include the Torres Strait Islander, Catalonia, Inca and Circassian flags.
Wiradjuri and Gunggandji NRL star Josh Addo-Carr shared the image of Suey, his uncle and other Qataris carrying the Australian and Aboriginal flags on Instagram.
Hundreds of comments under the video have expressed praise and gratitude for providing awareness about the Aboriginal flag and representing First Nations people at the world's largest sporting tournament.
"I don't know why but this made me tear up a little! Thanks for acknowledging us!" one comment read.
A TikTok user who said he was Moroccan and born in the Netherlands commented saying he had never seen or known there was an Aboriginal flag before he saw the video.
"That’s awesome, our culture has reached the other side of the world," another person replied.
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