Reports: Abused workers go on rampage in Qatar

Cairo: Migrant workers, angry over rights abuses, staged violent protests in Qatar, online reports have said.

The protesters took to the streets, decrying oppressive government policies, overdue wages and inhuman working conditions, they said.

Online images showed cars reportedly destroyed by angry demonstrators, who work on building stadiums that will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

There was no official or media comment in Doha.

The hashtag “Riot Acts in Qatar” has become a popular Arab trending over the past hours in a show of solidarity with the protesting workers.

Tweeters also mocked the Qatari news television Al Jazeera for ignoring the protests.

“Al Jazeera: Vehicles are taking a nap! News of protests is incorrect!” said a commentator, named Abdul Latif, in a sarcastic post.

Another tweeter, called Ahmad Al Sarem, challenged Al Jazeera to shed light on labour conditions in Qatar.

“Will Al Jazeera dare to report about the ordeal of these workers, who are deprived of their basic rights?” he said.

Al Jazeera is often critical of governments in other Arab countries and is accused of biased coverage.

Human rights advocates have repeatedly accused Qatar of labour abuses as the energy-rich country is struggling to host the 2022 World Cup.

Earlier this month, several rights watchdogs have cited the death of more than 1,200 migrant workers while building sports facilities in Qatar and charged a government rights commission of covering up the deaths.

Qatar is increasingly becoming a pariah after the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and transportation links with it for its support to extremist group.