Djokovic arrested: Australia alleges it may encourage anti-vaccines

The resolution of the case that has put the Government of Australia against the wall, attacking it precisely on its historically most protected flank, should be announced in the next few hours. The conflict between Novak Djokovic and the country’s Immigration department will offer its last act starting at 9:30 on Sunday – in Australian time, 11:30 p.m. this Saturday in mainland Spain. Depending on what the judge of the Federal Courts, David O’Callaghan, rules, the 34-year-old Serbian may debut on Monday at the Australian Open. On the contrary, if the appeal presented by his lawyers does not prosper, he will star in one of the most mediatic deportation processes of recent times.

After Alex Hawke, the Australian Immigration Minister, decided to exercise the authority that his position gives him and cancel Djokovic’s visa again on Friday afternoon, the athlete was arrested on Saturday morning (Australian time) after being questioned by Immigration officials, and transferred to an expressly undetermined whereabouts but which later turned out to be the Park Hotel in the Carlton neighborhood, the same establishment where the tennis player was already held and in isolation for five days, from Thursday of last week until on Monday of this, upon arrival in Melbourne. A couple of dozen protesters gathered there demanding the release of the nearly 30 people held there, seeking political asylum.

The reasons that have led Hawke to cancel Djokovic’s visa for the second time are that the Serbian tennis player, number one in the world and world influence in sport, could incite “civil unrest” and encourage others to avoid vaccination against covid -19. This is reflected in the documents that it has presented to the Federal Courts. Hawke said he accepted that Djokovic’s recent Covid infection (he tested positive on December 17) meant he was a “negligible risk to those around him”, but that he was “perceived by some as a talisman of an anti-vaccine community”.

“I believe that Mr Djokovic’s continued presence in Australia may lead to an increase in anti-vaccine sentiment from the Australian community, which could lead to an increase in civil unrest of the type previously experienced in Australia with rallies and protests that may be in themselves a source of community transmission”, alleges the Minister of Immigration. The population with a complete pattern still does not reach 78% in the country.

Remember Hawke, right hand Prime Minister Scott Morrison on all issues related to Australia’s border policies, that Djokovic had no qualms about going in for an interview (with the daily l’Equipe) on December 18, 24 hours after testing positive. And that, as he interprets, can be a bad example. “Given Mr Djokovic’s conduct after receiving a positive test result, his publicly stated views, as well as his unvaccinated status, I believe his continued presence in Australia may encourage others to ignore or act inconsistently. with Australian public health advice and policies [en temas de prevención covid]”. Djokovic acknowledged that not canceling that interview was a mistake.

Last October, Melbourne became the city in the world with the most accumulated days under strict confinement. In November and December, over several weekends, thousands of people demonstrated there and in other cities against the government’s response to the pandemic and the mandatory covid-19 vaccine. Immigration fears that Djokovic, who has entered Australia without vaccination and with a medical exemption, will stir up protests again.

On the contrary, the lawyers on behalf of the tennis player sought to highlight the persecution to which their client is subjected for not being vaccinated, and wanted to highlight his “philanthropic behavior towards Australia”, specifically for his generous donations “in favor of the investigation of the coronavirus, and of help in the fight against the fires that habitually ravage Australia”, the lawyers of the law firm Hall & Wilcox have stated in a letter.

Djokovic’s legal team also argued that the minister did not consider that the Serb’s detention by the government and his possible forced expulsion from the country could also incite anti-vaccination sentiment. In documents filed with the court, the lawyers allege that Hawke took an “illogical, irrational and unreasonable approach to a matter of public interest” and also in “his own exercise of ministerial discretion”.

They say there is no evidence to support the minister’s conclusion that Djokovic’s presence in Australia could fuel “anti-vaccine sentiment.”

You can follow EL PAÍS DEPORTES on Facebook Y Twitter, or sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.