Friday, January 07, 2022
Australia rejects criticism
“Mr Djokovic is not being held prisoner”
By Stephan Uersfeld
The farce around tennis superstar Novak Djokovic continues. The Serb is in a hotel in Melbourne. A court will only decide on his participation in the Australian Open on Monday. The government is defending itself against allegations by the Djokovic family and the situation is slowly escalating in front of the hotel.
The Australian Ministry of the Interior has defended itself against allegations from the Novak Djokovics family. This had claimed that Australia was holding the tennis star in Melbourne like a prisoner. “Mr Djokovic is not being held in Australia, he can go anytime and the border guards would be happy to help,” said Interior Secretary Karen Andrews on ABC News on Friday. Andrews confirmed two other problem cases in connection with the Australian Open, which is now dated Border guards would be checked.
The Interior Minister defended the actions of the authorities in the case, which was noticed worldwide. Djokovic failed to provide the correct information for his entry into Australia, she told the Seven Network. “They are required of anyone entering the country. If this information cannot be provided, entry requirements into Australia will not be met.” Actually, the rule in Australia is that only travelers with a vaccination against the coronavirus are allowed into the country. 26 professionals or supervisors had applied for a special permit for the Australian Open. In a “handful” of cases it worked, said tournament director Craig Tiley. With Djokovic too. Obviously, it just wasn’t enough for the entry permit.
The Jesus comparison
Meanwhile, the turmoil over the Serbs continued on all levels. on Instagram Djokovic’s wife, Jelena, spoke up. Under a picture that shows the couple hugging a poodle on a beach, she wrote with reference to the Orthodox Christmas on January 7th: “We wish that we are all together today. But I comfort myself with it, that we are at least healthy. We will grow from this experience. Thank you, dear people around the world, for using your voice to send love to my husband. ” You now want to learn to understand the situation. “The only law that we should all respect across all borders is love and respect for another person.”
At a spectacular press conference, Djokovic’s family compared the tennis star with Jesus Christ. His brother Djordje Djokovic said: “Jesus was crucified on the cross … but he still lives among us. They are trying to crucify and belittle Novak and bring him to his knees.” In the further course the family described the well-known son as a “revolutionary”. They saw Djokovic’s treatment as a kick against the Serbian people. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had also expressed angry about the events: “I fear that this relentless political persecution of Novak will continue until it can prove something,” he said: “Because if you can’t defeat someone, then take action one to such things. ”
Querfront protests in front of the hotel
Meanwhile, countless people protested in front of the Carlton’s Park Hotel in Melbourne. Djokovic is staying there until the saga may end next Monday. According to a report in the Australian newspaper “The Age” The roughly 200 demonstrators were recruited from a crude mix of anti-vaccination opponents, members of the Serbian community and people who campaign for refugees. They all see their hour has come. But around half are said to have left their position after a heavy rain shower.
Before the rain, a protester held up a sign that read ‘No’ and said, ‘My first sign said,’ No pandemic legislation. Let’s manage the risk. ‘ But that was too complicated. I don’t agree to cage refugees. I don’t agree to cage Novak and I disagree with … tyranny! ” AFP news agency footage showed an elderly woman with a “Grandmas for Refugees” sign and members of the Serbian community shouted “Free Novak” into their megaphones, according to media reports, referring to the Orthodox Christmas celebrations. “He did not do anything wrong,” “The Age” quoted one of the protesters, while others defended the freedom of the unvaccinated.
Otherwise, rejected asylum seekers are also accommodated in the Park Hotel. After a fire in December 2021, the people housed there should no longer have access to the fitness rooms and the smoking terrace, which is normally the only access to the outdoors, reported the newspaper. Corona outbreaks have also occurred more often in the hotel in the past. Around 90 percent of the infections of the second Covid-19 wave in the state of Victoria were due to the hotel, which was then still known as Rydges on Swanston.
The fate of the refugees
on Twitter Former Australian national soccer player Craig Foster spoke up. The 52-year-old has built a reputation as a human rights activist in recent years. He urged Djokovic to make the best of the situation. “Even if I don’t share your view of the vaccinations,” he wrote as a caveat in front of a whole series of tweets, “you have the opportunity to make something positive of your situation and to draw attention to how we treat innocent people. [Die Menschen im Park Hotel] have been imprisoned for nine years. Because you are there, the world hears about the fleas, the terrible food. Your mother called it ‘inhuman’. She is right. It is. “Foster asked Djokovic to talk to the other people in the hotel and to make them publicly aware of their rights.
Foster illustrated it using the example of the refugee Mohammad Joy Miah, who reported on his fate in a video. Djokovic doesn’t even have to spend nine days in the hotel, said Joy Miah: “We’re locked up here because we came by boat, not by plane.” In an interview with the BBC, the refugee reported about his life in the hotel. “I haven’t seen real daylight for a long time, haven’t breathed fresh air from outside for a long time. My life is a room,” he said. However, it is unclear whether Djokovic has to live under the same conditions or whether there are different conditions for him inside the hotel.
Australian ambassador summoned
But maybe Djokovic doesn’t have time for a meeting. At least that is the request of Serbia presented to the Ambassador of Australia in Serbia, Daniel Emery, by the Foreign Minister of the European state. “We expect the ambassador to personally ensure that he is accommodated in accommodation that is appropriate for the best athlete in the world and not for a criminal or an illegal immigrant,” said Serbian Foreign Minister Namanja Starovic. For the continued good diplomatic relations between the two countries, Djokovic would have to spend the Orthodox Christmas in better accommodation.
On January 3, Djokovic announced his participation in the Australian Open, which begins on January 17, with the aid of a special permit. Until then, he had kept a secret about his vaccination status. When he landed in Australia in the middle of the week, the border guards saw the entry rules in his case as not being met. How exactly Djokovic received his medical exemption and why it was not sufficient for entry is still not known. Local media report that the Australian Open and the state of Victoria, whose capital is Melbourne, granted Djokovic an exception to participate in the tournament – but this does not per se entitle him to enter the country beforehand. A court in Melbourne is expected to make a decision on Djokovic on Monday. Until then, he may have to stay at Carlton’s Park Hotel.