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Australia on Friday rejected claims from Djokovic’s family that the player was being held prisoner ahead of a court hearing Monday that will determine whether he is allowed to remain in the country and play in the Australian Open. The world No. 1 had his visa canceled on arrival in Melbourne on Wednesday after authorities rejected his request for an exemption from Australia’s requirement that visitors be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Rather than leave the country, he lodged an appeal and is being held at a hotel for undocumented immigrants until the hearing can take place.
There were also reports in local media on Friday that another tennis player, 38-year-old Czech Renata Voracova, was also detained and sent to the same quarantine hotel after entering the tournament on a similar vaccine exemption. Reuters later reported that the Czech Foreign Ministry confirmed her detention.
Quote:
“Novak Djokovic is not a criminal, terrorist nor illegal immigrant, but he has been treated as such by the Australian authorities, which understandably triggers the indignation of his supporters and Serbian citizens,” Serbia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Serbia is absolutely correct. Unfortunately, Djokovic is getting the same treatment many others have received at the hands of the tyrants running Australia.
I'm afraid Australia has been permanently removed from my bucket list. I won't take a chance on getting locked up indefinitely over "public health" paranoia and extremism.
Australia has a very clear process for requesting a vaccine exemption. He chose not to do that before getting on the plane and knowingly did not follow the rules for entering the country that absolutely anyone else arriving in Australia has to follow.
How is that like being treated as a terrorist? He could leave at any time.
Australia has a very clear process for requesting a vaccine exemption. He chose not to do that before getting on the plane and knowingly did not follow the rules for entering the country that absolutely anyone else arriving in Australia has to follow.
How is that like being treated as a terrorist? He could leave at any time.
It's all spelled out for you in the article, which you clearly did not read.
Play stupid games with border control, get stupid prizes like an enforced quarantine at an airport Budget Ibis.
And Australia is one of the last places to try that right now- voters are very angry at what they see as special treatment for athletes who want to enter the country when so many Australian citizens were trapped outside of the country for more than a year because of the Covid border closure. And there’s that whole underlying tall poppy syndrome there.
Plus, they’ve got big elections coming up shortly and current federal government is not doing well in the polls and the optics of ‘tennis brat’ are not great.
Australia has a very clear process for requesting a vaccine exemption. He chose not to do that before getting on the plane and knowingly did not follow the rules for entering the country that absolutely anyone else arriving in Australia has to follow.
How is that like being treated as a terrorist? He could leave at any time.
He requested, and received, an exemption from the tennis league and the local government. He did not get an exemption from the national government. We don’t know if that was purposeful (I’d say not, since he applied for the two others), or a genuine mistake.
Regardless, given how readily the vaccinated spread Covid at this point, it’s scientifically ridiculous to exclude unvaccinated from anything. It’s punitive. Gotta make those who don’t fall in line pay for their independent medical choices. And we need to stop with the ‘they’re endangering others’. That didn’t hold water even in the beginning.
He requested, and received, an exemption from the tennis league and the local government. He did not get an exemption from the national government. We don’t know if that was purposeful (I’d say not, since he applied for the two others), or a genuine mistake.
Regardless, given how readily the vaccinated spread Covid at this point, it’s scientifically ridiculous to exclude unvaccinated from anything. It’s punitive. Gotta make those who don’t fall in line pay for their independent medical choices. And we need to stop with the ‘they’re endangering others’. That didn’t hold water even in the beginning.
Don't like the rules, don't travel to the country. It's not that difficult.
He has dealt with visas for his entire career, and as a Serbian citizen living in Monaco, he knows better than most about border control and regulations for traveling between borders. It's hard to imagine someone in that position not realizing that the tennis league's exemption and local regulations are absolutely meaningless to federal rules. That would be like saying that because I was invited by a business in China to visit that I didn't have to go through the advance visa process for the country. I suppose some people might not be bright enough to understand why that's a problem, but it's hard to imagine that's the case here.
Few sports are more global than tennis, and any player’s team will have to deal with entry requirements all the time.
Given what Macron has been saying about misery for the unvaccinated in his country, Spartacus isn’t going to be allowed to play the French Open either any time soon.
Don't like the rules, don't travel to the country. It's not that difficult.
He has dealt with visas for his entire career, and as a Serbian citizen living in Monaco, he knows better than most about border control and regulations for traveling between borders. It's hard to imagine someone in that position not realizing that the tennis league's exemption and local regulations are absolutely meaningless to federal rules. That would be like saying that because I was invited by a business in China to visit that I didn't have to go through the advance visa process for the country. I suppose some people might not be bright enough to understand why that's a problem, but it's hard to imagine that's the case here.
If it were just the league, I would agree, but he applied to the local government. It’s not like he didn’t contact any government agency. I’m sure he’s also not personally applying, but leaves that up to a manager. Sounds like a mistake to me.
Serbia is absolutely correct. Unfortunately, Djokovic is getting the same treatment many others have received at the hands of the tyrants running Australia.
I'm afraid Australia has been permanently removed from my bucket list. I won't take a chance on getting locked up indefinitely over "public health" paranoia and extremism.
I'm sure Australia will miss another one of "your persuasion" deigning to give them a pass. NOT.
Djokovic will get the same treatment from any number of countries with common sense guidelines in the face of a pandemic killing well over 5 million people (5.47) and almost one million (832K) of those being Americans.
In the face of all available evidence; your common sense bucket is empty.
No one is going to listen overmuch to the whining about one of their citizens, in contravention of another country's pandemic guidelines, being treated like a terrorist. Especially citizens from a country that required international intervention to stop them killing thousands of each other over religious beliefs just a few decades ago.
Last edited by BruSan; 01-07-2022 at 10:17 AM..
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