Novak Djokovic, the world's No. 1 tennis player, who has won nine Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and 20 Grand Slam titles in his career, was also the favorite of the tournament to be held in Melbourne Park in the coming days. However, the exemption decision of the Serbian athlete, who did not have the COVID-19 vaccine, was not accepted by the government after he reached Melbourne. His entry visa was canceled and he was sent to a hotel where refugees were being held.
Subsequently, Australia’s Federal Circuit Court and Family Court upheld the objection made by Djokovic's lawyers. However, this time, Australia's Immigration Minister Alex Hawke announced that he did not recognize the court's decision and decided to deport Djokovic over the tournament rules. The Australian Federal Court had to approve Hawke’s visa cancellation decision in a hearing with a team of three judges.
Although the "proud" minister said he acted aggressively so as not to encourage anti-vaxxers, this scandal will go down in history as a symbol of Australia's fascistic practices during the coronavirus pandemic period. The very minister who boasts about strict anti-migrant policies and who has attempted to send a message to the world by punishing a globally famous figure has ultimately made things even worse.
Djokovic could have been kept under control with tests and in a special room... He could very well have gone to his match after passing special health checks. The tournament, followed by the whole world, would not have been harmed.
Moreover, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that only one athlete in the active sports world has died from COVID-19 so far. The WHO recently warned that repeated doses of the coronavirus vaccines are not a viable strategy to protect against new variants, including omicron.
Please pardon me if I’m wrong, but the very vaccines requested for Djokovic are the ones deemed by official scientific authorities as “no longer functional,” aren’t they?
Although Djokovic, who broke the record for participation in the Australian Open, is sad, I think he has revealed what kind of isolation is experienced in Australia under the pretext of the pandemic. Thanks to him, the world saw once again how pandemic measures have turned from a health measure to a security measure, and that the process was ready to evolve into new racist immigration policies.
Djokovic’s lawyers claimed that the visa was cancelled since the athlete is seen as a symbol of the anti-vaccine society. This is alone enough to see that the case is not about health but ideology.
As you know, there is the French Open, which will be held in Paris next May. According to the French press, based on government sources, it is written that the vaccine will be a mandatory for athletes coming from abroad to participate in the competitions. We hope that a similar problem does not occur there. Athletes cannot be further victimized.
Of course, the same wish applies to all of us... The "distress" of humanity, whose basic universal rights have been shelved for two years with dysfunctional prohibitions around the law, must now come to an end. While the world's top ten richest people doubled their wealth during the pandemic, the chains of the impoverished majority must be broken as soon as possible. Practices such as vaccination passports that prevent us from exercising our travel and trade rights should be stopped immediately.
Open our world again. You’re not the owner of it.
