The tennis player’s appeal against the decision last Friday by the Australian Immigration Minister, Alex Hawke, is analyzed.
The hearing held this Sunday before an Australian court to analyze the deportation of Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic concluded while waiting for the judges to announce their ruling today.
The lawyer for the Government of Australia recalled today that Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic has “a recent history” of having ignored the measures imposed by covid-19, during his argument at the virtual hearing that addresses the plenary session of the Australian Federal Court on deportation of the player.
“Even when he was infected he went to an interview and photo shoot which included taking off his mask,” said Stephen Lloyd, who is representing Immigration Minister Alex Hawke in these proceedings, referring to Djokovic’s admission that he went to an interview. with the French outlet L’Equipe in Belgrade on December 18 knowing that he had covid.
Australian government plans to arrest Novak Djokovic on Saturday morning
In the virtual hearing, which is broadcast live on YouTube, the tennis player’s appeal against the decision last Friday by the Australian Immigration Minister, Alex Hawke, to cancel the number one visa for the second time is analyzed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRxyGJGi6OE
Hawke justified his decision as a “threat to public health and order” since his presence could fuel “anti-vaccine sentiment”, which is why his lawyer insisted today that Djokovic could “encourage people to emulate him” in violation of the measures against covid.
The Immigration Minister’s lawyer insisted today that the tennis player’s presence could “encourage people to emulate him” in violation of the measures against covid.
“His connections to the case, whether he likes it or not, are still present and his presence in Australia poses an overwhelming risk,” said Hawke’s lawyer, before the noon break in this hearing that is expected to issue a decision before the start. of the Australian Open, which takes place between January 17 and 30.
Earlier, Nicholas Wood, a lawyer for the 34-year-old Serbian tennis player, who is not vaccinated, insisted that the minister did not adequately weigh the impact of the decision to deport him on anti-vaccine activists, considering that the reason for canceling his visa is ” illogical” and “irrational”.
Likewise, Wood pointed out that the Immigration Minister does not have enough evidence to show that the presence of Djokovic, who is seeking his tenth title at the Australian Open and thus becoming the most decorated tennis player in history with 21 Grand Slams, can fuel the anti-vaccine sentiment.
Novak Djokovic already has a rival at the Australian Open, although his participation is in doubt
Wood stressed that the “only evidence” that could connect Djokovic with the anti-vaccine protests is an article by the British media BBC about the anger among anti-vaccine activists over the Australian government’s measures to cancel his visa.
“Not a single line of evidence in the material presented to the minister provided any specific, logical or evidentiary basis for the proposition that the mere presence of Djokovic himself – not the cancellation of his visa and his expulsion – could in any way encourage the anti-vaccination sentiment”, attacked the lawyer.
Djokovic traveled to Melbourne on January 5 with a medical exemption for not being vaccinated, having recently been infected with covid-19, although upon arrival the Immigration authorities canceled his visa and detained him until his release on Monday for a court order considering that he was not treated with “equity”. (I)
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