MELBOURNE – Australian Open organizers have “updated and reminded” all players and teams of the tournament’s flag and emblem policy after Novak Djokovic’s father Srdjan was filmed Wednesday night talking to a group of Vladimir Putin posing for photos with followers .
Djokovic has just beaten Russia’s Andrey Rublev in straight sets to reach his 10th semi-final in Melbourne and remains the favorite to win on Sunday.
However, shortly before 10:30 pm, ugly scenes took place outside the stadium as a group of fans began chanting Putin’s name and chanting “Russia, Serbia”.
In a video posted on Aussie Cossack’s YouTube channel, Djokovic Sr. poses for a photo with a man holding a Russian flag with Putin’s face and wearing a T-shirt with the infamous Z symbol, a symbol of support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine is used all over the world.
As he leaves, he appears to say “Ziweili Russiyani” to the man in support of the Russian cause, which the men in the photograph then repeat. “Ziveili” is a Serbo-Croatian word meaning “cheers,” while “Russians” refers to citizens of Russia, and the phrase is translated by the broadcaster as “long live the Russians.”
Photographing with Srdan, the man with the flag also sends greetings to Alexander Zaldostanov “from Melbourne, Australia, to our brothers in Moscow.” Zaldostanov is the leader of the Night Wolves motorcycle group closely associated with Putin, sometimes known in the media as Putin’s Angels, whose flag was seen in front of Rod Laver’s arena in the previous video.
Tennis Australia statement: “A small group of people displayed unacceptable flags and symbols and threatened security guards after Wednesday night’s match and were evicted. The patron now assists the police on unrelated matters.
“Players and their teams have been briefed and reminded of the event’s policy regarding flags and symbols, as well as being reminded to avoid any situations that could be disruptive. We continue to work closely with event security and law enforcement.”
I reached out to Djokovic’s team for comment.
Pro-Russian fans hit back at the Australian Open
The YouTube channel with the video is run by Simeon Boikov, 32, who was issued an arrest warrant this week for allegedly attacking a 76-year-old man at a pro-Ukrainian rally in Sydney.
The day before Djokovic’s game against Rublev, he released a monologue calling on all Russian fans to “fight back” at Tennis Australia after tournament organizers banned all Russian flags from the venue.
“Today Djokovic plays Andrey Rublev. I hereby urge or direct all to go there. I can confirm that we have surprises,” Boikov said.
“Tennis Australia, get ready… for the fans, for the people who love tennis, if you know what I mean. I have to say this or they’ll catch me for inciting hatred. We have a lot of serious fans who come to Melbourne.”
He added: “Now it’s about honor and dignity. This is an attack on honor and dignity. It has nothing to do with the war. This is an attack on freedom in Australia. This is discrimination. This is racism. It is illegal to ban national flags.
“The flag of the Russian Empire was banned. Guess what tennis is like in Australia? Good luck if the Empire strikes back.”
The video, starring Srdjan Djokovic, was apparently not filmed by Boikov, who is believed to have been in Sydney on Wednesday night, but was released along with new footage of fans holding an impromptu pro-Putin rally outside the Rod Laver Arena. his channel.
The guards stand, apparently waiting for reinforcements, while the police are called. Four fans were then interrogated and eventually removed from the tournament grounds.
Source: I News
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