For anyone who spends 10 mins doing research, you will learn Morrison's government has been under fire for the handling of covid, for numerous reasons. Djokovic is the perfect target to create a villain they can use as face of anti-vaxxers to save face, to try and score political points.
Then you have the anti anti-vaxxers coming out and making him the face of the ant-vax movement
lastly, you have the federer and nadal fans coming out and cheering the possibility that novak will be stopped from getting to 21 at AO 21 not caring about how badly he is being treated, as human being. Question yourself, are you a nice person?
It's a perfect storm but shows lack of character, shows cowardice and truly shows the bad side of humanity.
If you break down this case on the facts. Djokovic is not an extreme anti-vaxxer for starters. His only stance is he doesn't believe he needs the vaccine but he has never tried to convince the public not to get vaccinated. To make him the face of the anti-tax movement, to have a villain to attack, is terribly wrong. Second, Djokovic has always been open and openly communicated with tennis organizers on the matter. After weeks and maybe months of back and forth, the Victorian state government and tennis australia cleared him to come and gave him one exemption. How that was done without consulation with federal authorities or at odds with federal regulations is beyond me. Djokovic didn't deliberately try to evade or trick anyone... Then he comes in and is denied on the basis of not having a valid exemption. A court overturned this on administrative grounds, meaning government didn't act appropriately in following due process.
Then, INEXPLICABLY, Alex Hawke cancels the visa again for what seems to be outrageous reasoning - that Djokovic is a threat to stability, a danger to Australian public and that due to him being a high profile public person, he's more of a danger. Alex Hawke didn't even argue the medical exemption was invalid (the original reason for cancelling Novak's visa) and didn't even bring up visa application errors (which isn't enforced all too often). Why didn't he? Clearly, he didn't think he had strong grounds to do so and everyone here thought these were just reasons to deport Novak.
Novak's lawyers were probably stunned with this argument and have strongly counter-argued. First they argued that how can Alex Hawke know that deporting Novak would be safer than keeping him? There could be unrest by deporting him and the public gatherings of protestors endanger people too, covid can spread more easily. They also argued that Djokobic has played several slams since covid started and never has he been some sort of 'public' threat. They have also argued that alex hawke was basing things Novak said two years ago but not caring about Novak's positions today, lawyers stated that Novak may not think he needs the vaccines but has never told others not to get vaccinated. They have also pointed to no evidence that Djokovic has been guilty of leading anti-vaxers or spreading anti-vax sentiment.... The lawyers did a very good job poking holes here. Judges may still be under tremendous pressure to agree to deportation given 80% of australia supports it and Alex Hawke has their support. The argument though, seems horrible. I worry judges may just succumb to the pressures and political climate.
The reality is this is all political. Djokovic has done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment but he finds himself in a country where covid has dealt blows to the government, a world where people want to create anti-vax villains to attack and make an example of and then, many in tennis do not want him to get the records.
The fact that Nick Kyrgios, an Australian who understand australia and a former anti-joker is now blasting the media, the government and defending Djokovic says a lot. He knows what's going on here, and he himself has been cast as a villain before so he knows how that feels.
I think people should be ashamed of themselves for the way they have treated Novak this unfairly and for trying to make him the face of anti-vax movement, someone who presents a threat to the public. It's shameful and pathetic.
OMG, the nattering on about anti-vax sentiments. You are never going to win on this ground! Did no one speak to you at lunch?! You are running down a losing path. Talk about his visa, you git.
