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Novak Djokovic visa: Australian minister Alex Hawke says risk of ‘civil unrest’ behind cancellation
Hawke says tennis champion is ‘perceived by some as a talisman of a community of anti-vaccine sentiment’

Ben Doherty
Sat 15 Jan 2022 04.38 GMT

Tennis champion Novak Djokovic, who has been described as a risk to “civil unrest” and a “talisman of anti-vaccination sentiment”, may never get the chance to defend his Australian Open title, facing a three-year ban from the country ahead of a last-ditch court challenge to stay.

Australia’s immigration minister, Alex Hawke, personally cancelled the unvaccinated world No 1’s visa, arguing his presence in Australia could incite “civil unrest” and encourage others to eschew vaccination against Covid-19.

Djokovic faces a federal court hearing Sunday morning, Australia time, which will determine whether the minister acted unreasonably in rescinding his visa.

Documents filed in the court reveal the minister’s reasons sent to Djokovic as justification for cancelling his visa.

Hawke said he accepted Djokovic’s recent Covid-19 infection meant he was a “negligible risk to those around him”, but that he was “perceived by some as a talisman of a community of anti-vaccine sentiment”.



https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/ ... ncellation

raison de arizona wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 9:38 pm Well known antivax Covidiot Joe Rogan fact checks his provax guest on air and finds that the provax guest is... Right. Of course.
https: //twitter.com/FullContactMTWF/status/1481638689415462916?s=20

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LM K wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 9:01 pm Didn't Orly submit online poll results as "evidence" once?

Ivermectin Fans Are Back With Even Weirder Drugs for Your COVID
Like a potent cocktail of Prozac and hormone therapy.


Kelly Weill
Updated Jan. 11, 2022 6:11AM ET / Published Jan. 11, 2022 4:56AM ET

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty
Is your anti-worm medication failing to treat COVID-19? Not to worry, says one of the loudest organizations promoting anti-worm medication for COVID patients: Try adding a cocktail of anti-depressants and androgen inhibitors to your medical mix.

No major health organizations recommend the use of ivermectin (an anti-parasitic drug) in the treatment of COVID-19 (a virus). “Ivermectin has not been shown to be safe or effective for these indications,” the Food and Drug Administration advises. Nevertheless, the medication has found an avid fanbase, especially in alternative medicine and anti-vaccine circles, where ivermectin enthusiasts have taken veterinary versions of the drug and led to a massive spike in calls to poison control centers.

But despite championing ivermectin as a “miracle drug against COVID-19,” one of the medication’s biggest hype-groups is now promoting additional treatments, in case the miracle fails.

The “Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance,” one of the leading groups promoting ivermectin, now lists a variety of backup drugs, including the anti-depressant Prozac and the anti-androgens spironolactone and dutasteride.

FLCCC has been recommending the alternative-alternative medications for some months, but the dubious advice went viral this week when Twitter users spotted it on FLCCC’s newly updated treatment plan, and when the FLCCC’s leader appeared on Fox News on Sunday to flog the new treatment.



https://www.thedailybeast.com/ivermecti ... ne-therapy

Anti-vaccine, sovereign citizen conspiracists enter a vaccination centre claiming they are "constables from the common law court" and telling members of the armed forces that they are "under arrest" for "high treason".

Novak Djokovic has accused the Australian immigration minister of failing to ask him his views on vaccination and to consider the impact of deporting him on anti-vaccination sentiment.

Djokovic made the claims in further written submissions, published on Sunday, as the full federal court began hearing his case which will finally determine whether to restore his visa, cancelled by the minister, Alex Hawke, on Friday.

Hawke concluded that Djokovic’s presence in Australia might risk “civil unrest” because he is a “talisman of anti-vaccination sentiment” because of his earlier statements and public perception of his views on vaccination.

In amended submissions lodged overnight, Djokovic’s lawyers have added a counter-argument that cancelling the visa will also have the effect of inciting anti-vaxx sentiment.

They cited the fact the original decision by a home affairs delegate to cancel Djokovic’s visa had done so, citing a BBC World story about backlash in the wake of that decision, later overturned by the federal circuit court.

“It was irrational, illogical or unreasonable for the minister to fail to consider the influence of Mr Djokovic’s removal on anti-vaccination sentiment,” they submitted.

Djokovic’s lawyers also disputed claims the tennis star is an anti-vaxxer, arguing this was based on one statement in April 2020 “well before Covid vaccines were available”.

Djokovic later clarified his view when he said he was “no expert”, would keep an “open mind” but wanted to have “an option to choose what’s best for my body”, they said.

“There was no evidence before the minister that Mr Djokovic has ever urged any others not to be vaccinated. Indeed, if anything, Mr Djokovic’s conduct over time reveals a zealous protection of his own privacy rather than any advocacy.”

In submissions also released on Sunday morning, Hawke said that Djokovic had failed to prove the counterargument and there was “insufficient basis for the court to make this finding”. Djokovic had the onus of proof on this point, Hawke’s lawyers submitted.

They submitted that in his decision the minister noted support in Australia and abroad for Djokovic to stay, the risk to Australia’s global reputation, the risk to hosting the Australian Open and “the appearance of politically motivated decision-making”.

This showed the minister had adequately considered the consequences of removing Djokovic, they submitted.

Even if Hawke didn’t consider the risk of anti-vaxx sentiment if Djokovic was deported, the minister argued that didn’t make his decision illogical, irrational or unreasonable, and it was not a material error.

Djokovic’s amended submissions criticised Hawke for not making “the obvious, critical and easy inquiry of Mr Djokovic as to what his sentiment [about vaccination] in fact was”.

Hawke responded that this exercise would have made no difference, questioning “what Mr Djokovic could have said to the minister in response”. It argued this “would not have altered the fact of his previous public statements and the views of those in the Australian community as to what his views on vaccination were”.

Sunday’s hearing began with a statement from Chief Justice James Allsop explaining while appeal is possible from a single judge, no appeal will be possible from the full court.

The hearing continues, with arguments expected to conclude by early afternoon Australian time and a result to follow on Sunday or Monday.

pipistrelle wrote: ↑Sat Jan 15, 2022 7:51 pm Why do celebrities get special treatment? Toss him like anyone else.

Uninformed wrote: ↑Sun Jan 16, 2022 2:02 am Breaking: Djokovic loses appeal.

keith wrote: ↑Sun Jan 16, 2022 2:21 am I wonder if he'll start losing sponsership.