Barcelona will not offer public viewing venues to watch Spain's matches during next month's World Cup in Qatar after its mayor said her city does not support holding the football tournament in a "dictatorship."
Spanish news agency EFE reports that Barcelona mayor Ada Colau rejected a request, by an opposition party during a city hall council session on Friday, to open a public venue for citizens to gather and watch Spain.
Paris and other French cities have also said they will not put up screens to follow the matches, reports AP.
Ada said, according to EFE, that her city government would not "dedicate public resources nor public spaces for the viewing of a World Cup that is being held in a dictatorship."
"It is a mistake to organise a global sports event, which should promote democratic values, peace and human rights, in a dictatorship," she added.
Ada, a leading member of a left-wing party, is a former housing activist who became mayor of Barcelona, Spain's second-largest city, in 2015.
Human rights groups have criticised the choice of Qatar as World Cup host for its treatment of migrant workers and the gay community, among other issues.
