International Opinion

The Paris-Dakar car rally gets lost in the sands of Saudi propaganda

The Paris-Dakar Rally, often now known simply as the Dakar Rally or Dakar, has been held most years since 1979, and this rally through desert sands is one of the most high-profile motor sports events on the planet. The 2020 rally, which began on Sunday January 5th, is taking place for the first time in Saudi Arabia. Mediapart's Middle East correspondent René Backmann argues in this opinion article that underneath the media din and razzmatazz, the event is nothing more than a PR exercise by the Saudi regime to persuade people to forget its despotic, fundamentalist and brutal nature, as well as the scale of its crimes.

Reading articles is for subscribers only. Login

The 557 competitors who began the 42nd Paris-Dakar Rally in Jeddah on Sunday January 5th probably think that they are taking part in a sporting competition. They probably believe that over the following 12 days, the event is all about them testing their ability to navigate the desert, mastering how to drive in the sand and overcoming their resistance to extreme fatigue. But they are mistaken.

1€ for 15 days

Can be canceled online at any time

I subscribe

Only our readers can buy us

Support a 100% independent newspaper: without subsidies, without advertising, without shareholders

Get your information from a trusted source

Get exclusive access to revelations from an investigative journal

Already subscribed ?

Forgot password ?

#FREEMORTAZA

Since January 7, 2023 our colleague and friend Mortaza Behboudi has been imprisoned in Afghanistan, in the Taliban prisons.

We do not forget him and call for his release.

Learn more about #FREEMORTAZA

Today on Mediapart

See Journal’s homepage

#FREEMORTAZA

Since January 7, 2023 our colleague and friend Mortaza Behboudi has been imprisoned in Afghanistan, in the Taliban prisons.

We do not forget him and call for his release.

Learn more about #FREEMORTAZA