Deyo is currently detained by immigration officials after being cancelled again by Australia on the 14th. Today is the last time Djokovic and the Australian government will go to court, and the Australian Federal Court will issue a final ruling on whether Djokovic can stay and participate in the Australian Open.
Lawyers: There is no evidence that De Dating fuels anti-vaccine sentiment
Djokovic's lawyer's main arguments:
1: There is little evidence that Djokovic actively opposed the vaccine, except for the April 2020 quote, which was not available at the time and was interviewed in Serbian, where the original author believed that the English translation was biased.
2: There is no evidence that the existence of a Djokovic fosters anti-vaccine sentiment.
3: The government has not considered whether the cancellation of the deyont visa will trigger anti-vaccine sentiment.
Australian government lawyers said Djokovic's influence was "not limited to existing anti-vaccination organisations".
"He was a high-profile man who in many ways was an example for many people. His presence in Australia will more strongly present his anti-vaccination views to Australians. ”
Government lawyers cited Djokovic's conduct in an interview with the team newspaper as "a clear disregard for security measures."
"People always use high-level athletes to promote ideas and things, and whether he wants to or not, his influence is still there."
"People who have not been vaccinated have voluntarily chosen not to be vaccinated," the government's lawyer said, arguing that Djokovic's unvaccinated situation shows opposition.
Excerpts from court transcripts:
- The reason why Minister Hawke canceled his visa this time is that the reason for the cancellation of the visa for the first time in Djokovic is completely different.
- Hawke's decision came in part from the media. This included reports from the BBC.
In media reports that Hawke read, he said that Djokovic said he was opposed to vaccination, but later clarified that he was not an expert, kept an open mind, and wanted to choose the method that best suited his body. Counsel said it was puzzling that the Minister had not quoted that part.
- Stressed that Djokovic these comments were from before the vaccine was officially introduced.
- It is wrong to support Djokovic's claim that anti-vaccine people are in Australia because Djokovic was not vaccinated because they were not vaccinated – because the media did not report it, and some media reports even came from Djokovic before he arrived in Australia. The only piece of evidence that links Djokovic to anti-vaccine proponents is the BBC article on Djokovic's views on vaccines. The article has a subtitle "Anti-Vaccine Activists." But the article was published before a court hearing for the first cancellation after the first visa cancellation.
- It says Djokovic has the support of fans, and even though he has not expressed extreme positions, the debate over whether visas are valid has sparked enthusiasm among anti-vaccine activists.
- If there is any reason to think that Djokovic's participation in tennis matches will lead to such a thought, then please gather evidence from tennis tournaments to support it. And not as the minister decided.
- Gram's lawyer: "At this stage of the global pandemic ... Djokovic could have been vaccinated if he wanted to. His still unvaccinated shows that this is his choice: to remain unvaccinated ... The Minister has the right to determine that this is his choice. ”
- Djokovic applied for a medical exemption because he had contracted the coronavirus on December 16. But he could have been vaccinated before then.
- Quoting the opposing lawyer as saying that Deyo commented on not wanting to be vaccinated before the vaccine was introduced: "He opposed the vaccine before it was launched – which shows that his initial position was anti-vaccine." ”
- Began to state whether Djokovic inspired anti-vaccine action in Australia. (Off-topic: There was a big anti-vaccine march in Melbourne yesterday, which really pushed Djokovic into the fire pit.) ）
Hawke has carefully considered the consequences of canceling Djokovic's visa, i.e., whether this will further stir up anti-vaccine sentiment. Deyo's supporters have been restless, and there has been unrest since the first decision was canceled. There are voices supporting Djokovic staying at the Australian Open, but that could be a trigger for discord, unrest or anger. (Questioned by the judge here: everyone knows the uneasiness that the cancellation of Djokovic's visa will cause, and Hawke expresses the uneasiness that will be caused by letting Djokovic stay...) Government lawyers responded that it would be "surprising" to have Deyo stay because of that. ）
- Given Djokovic's high prestige and appeal, he was an exemplary role in Australia. But he has only recently "ignored COVID-19 safety measures." "When he learned that he had contracted the virus and got a positive report, he still accepted media interviews and filming, and took off his mask."
- Say Hawke doesn't need to elaborate on the reasons that could lead to uneasiness if Djokovic is allowed to stay. But Hawke did take that into account. But nothing can be inferred from what he didn't say.
The tennis world also launched a big discussion about deyo's encounter.
Nadal is not on Djokovic's side: the Australian Open is more important than the players
At the pre-Australian Open press conference, the first to speak out was Nadal. In the face of controversy, he chose to support the Australian Open.
"It's clear that Djokovic is one of the best players in history. But no player in history has ever played more importantly, players have come and gone, new players will join, and no one has played more importantly, not even Federer, Djokovic and me. ”
"The Australian Open is more important than any player. If Djokovic can finally compete, it's fine; if he can't play, the Australian Open is still a great Australian Open, that's my personal opinion. ”
"I wish Djokovic all the best and we have a good relationship throughout our career."
"If there's a solution, it's vaccinations. For the sake of all, for the health of tennis, we need to be vaccinated and need to make a difference in the current epidemic. ”
KYRGIOS: Nadal, where is your support for Djokovic?
Another Australian star, "Bad Boy" Kyrgios, has made it clear that he supports Djokovic and mocks Nadal.
"Australian officials say he poses a threat to us as if he were a weapon of mass destruction. He came to play tennis, and he didn't do anything to anyone. ”
"On a human level, he needs the support of other players. Nadal, where is your support for Djokovic? Imagine how he feels, he probably wants a little bit of support from other players and he actually got it from me, which is the strangest thing. ”
Spain's Muguruza: It's not that hard to get vaccinated
"All of this could have been avoided, just as we all went to get vaccinated." Everybody has a clear understanding of the rules and you have to follow them, and I don't think it's that hard. ”
Australian star De Minar: If you want to enter Australia, you must get a vaccine
"It's no secret that Australia has endured a lot. And when you visit, when you want to enter the country, you have to get two shots of the vaccine. It depends on his judgment, his choice. ”
Tsitsipas, who said in an interview a few days ago that the Djokovic incident "makes most players look like fools", chose to say less this time.
"It got a lot of attention and I came to the press conference to talk about tennis, not Djokovic. It's a shame that no one has talked about tennis in the last two weeks. ”
Spain's Busta: If you don't get vaccinated, don't come and compete
"All you have to do is get vaccinated. If you don't get vaccinated, don't come to the race. The situation is confusing now, because if he doesn't end up playing, the signing schedule will change with it. ”
Naomi Osaka: Unfortunately, people remember Deyo in this way
"This is a very unfortunate event. He's such a great player and it's kind of sad that some people will remember him that way. But I also think how Australia handles this is not up to us players, but to the authorities here. ”
Zverev: It's not fair to allow him to come and not let him play
"Don't question his legacy," he's one of the GOAT. The Australian ZF should have made it clear in advance what would happen; it would be unfair to allow a person to come over and not allow them to participate. ”
In addition, around the "visa storm", in addition to the players, there are also different voices in Australian domestic public opinion.
Australian media said that Hawke's reason for revoking his visa was that Djokovic's non-vaccination in Australia may lead to an increase in anti-vaccine sentiment in some communities in the country, which will bring negative consequences that are not conducive to responding to the epidemic.
But Djokovic's team of lawyers responded that the immigration minister had not taken into account that djokovic's detention and forced departure could also fuel the sentiment, and that the minister had no evidence to support his conclusions.
Another voice is that the Australian government's approach has other intentions – to divert domestic tensions.
Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on social media that the Australian government's practice of issuing visas to Djokovic at the beginning was debatable, and now the "struggle" with him has successfully transformed the front-page news of major platforms in Australian media from the shortage of rapid antigen test kits, insufficient vaccine enhancement needle reserves, empty shelves, etc., into Djokovic's visa problem.
Review of djokovic visa incidents
January 4
Djokovic posted on social media that he had passed a medical exemption and was about to travel to Australia for the new season of the Australian Open.
January 5
While Djokovic was still on the fly, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned that djokovic would "take the next flight home" if djokovic's medical exemption was not well grounded.
Djokovic landed in Melbourne, but customs refused Djokovic's entry and held him in solitary confinement for a long time.
January 6
Morrison announced on his personal social media that Djokovic's visa had been cancelled and that no one could be above the rules.
The media revealed that Deyo used the condition of "confirmed infection in the past 6 months" to obtain medical exemption, but this condition was not recognized by the Australian side.
January 7
Australian Interior Minister Andrews said Djokovic could leave Australia at any time and he was not detained.
Two others, who had been exempted for the same reasons as Djokovic, were pulled out and both decided not to appeal but to leave Australia immediately. The Australian Health and Epidemic Prevention Department's email to the Australian Open Director Terry clearly pointed out that the confirmed infection within 6 months cannot be used as a condition for medical exemption.
January 8
An email from Terry to an independent review body was revealed, in which Terry hinted that "how players who fall into this category is related to the core viability of the Australian Open." ”
Deyo's lawyers provided proof that Deyo had been infected with the new crown virus for the second time on December 16 last year. But then some media pulled out the trajectory of Deyo's activities in the few days after the diagnosis, he did not accept quarantine and did not wear a mask to attend the event for 3 consecutive days.
January 9
Australian Home Secretary Andrews proposed to postpone the hearing until Jan. 12, but the court rejected it.
January 10
After five hours of speeches, Federal Court Judge Anthony Kelly ruled in favor of Djokovic and that he would regain his freedom immediately.
Shortly after Deyo's victory, the federal lawyer's representative said the Home Office could still cancel Djokovic's visa again and detain him again.
January 12
Djokovic publicly apologized, admitting to being interviewed even when he learned of his masculinity, and even took off his mask at one point. As for the concealment of the itinerary into Australia, it is the information submitted by the brokerage team and is not intentional.
The anchor of the Australian television station "7NEWS" criticized the outflow of Xiaode's dialogue at the time of the advertisement, and the female anchor Maiden said bluntly, "No matter what you think, Djokovic is a liar, a cunning bastard." ”
January 13
The results of the Australian Open main draw are out. Defending champion Djokovic will face Serbian compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round, but there is still uncertainty as to whether the top seed will be disembarked for a second time.
January 14
Australia's Immigration Minister announced the cancellation of Djokovic's visa again, "Today, I exercised my authority under section 133C(3) of the Immigration Act to cancel Djokovic's visa on the grounds of health and good order, and it is in the public interest to do so. ”
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