Protester with peace flag interrupts men's World Cup game in Qatar - Action News
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Protester with peace flag interrupts men's World Cup game in Qatar

A protester ran onto the field Monday carrying a peace flag and wearing a blue Superman T-shirt that said "Save Ukraine" on the front and "Respect for Iranian Woman" on the back during a World Cup match between Portugal and Uruguay.

Runs onto field, also wearing T-shirt in support of Ukraine and Iranian protesters

A protester with a rainbow flag runs onto the field during a men's World Cup match between Portugal and Uruguay in Qatar on Monday. (Abbie Parr/The Associated Press)

A protester ran onto the field Monday carrying a peace flag and wearing a blue Superman T-shirt that said "Save Ukraine" on the front and "Respect for Iranian Woman" on the back during a World Cup match between Portugal and Uruguay.

The flag is an unofficial symbol of world peace, which was created in Italy in 1961 and carries the word "PACE," which is Italian for peace.

The demonstrator's T-shirt read 'Respect for Iranian Woman' on the back and 'Save Ukraine' on the front underneath a Superman emblem. (Molly Darlington/Reuters)

Security officials chased the protester down and the flag was dropped on the field before he was escorted off the field.

The referee then picked up the flag and left it on the sideline, where it stayed for a few moments before a worker came and collected it.

Security tackled the protester shortly after he ran onto the field. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)

It wasn't immediately clear if the protester faced any charges or had been detained by police.

It wasn't immediately clear if the protester faced any charges or had been detained by police. (Aijaz Rahi/The Associated Press)

In the first week of the tournament in Qatar, seven European teams lost the battle to wear multi-coloured "One Love" armbands during World Cup matches.

Fans also complained they weren't allowed to bring items with rainbow colours, a symbol of LGBTQ rights, into the stadiums of the conservative Islamic emirate.

Referee Alireza Faghani picks up the rainbow flag after the protester was led off the field. (Molly Darlington/Reuters)

Qatar's restrictive sexlaws and treatment of LGBTQ people were flashpoints in the run-up to the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East. Qatar has said everyone was welcome, including LGBTQ fans, but that visitors should respect the nation's culture.

The incident occurred during the second half of the game at Lusail Stadium.

Belgium fans are pictured on Wednesday wearing T-shirts with a rainbow-coloured heart. That logo was intended to appear on the armbands of several European teams in protest of Qatar's anti-LGBTQ laws before FIFA interceded. (Martin Meissner/The Associated Press)