Far-right Personality Katie Hopkins Is Quarantining For Channel 7’s ‘Big Brother VIP’
"It is a disgrace that this right-wing extremist was given a tick, while over 30000 Australian citizens are stranded overseas."
British far-right commentator Katie Hopkins is quarantining in a Sydney hotel ahead of a speculated role in the upcoming season of Big Brother, and people are rightly angry.
Hopkins’ presence in Australia became known after she uploaded a video to Instagram complaining about Sydney’s COVID-19 restrictions and claiming COVID-19 was a hoax. She also admitted to trying to break restrictions in her hotel by answering the door naked without a face mask. Victorian MP Andrew Giles said in a media release that Hopkins’ behaviour was “grossly disrespectful to frontline workers who are only trying to keep us safe”.
Dear @Channel7 we will be targeting EVERY advertiser during your Olympic coverage to ensure they are aware they are advertising with a media company who gives the racist Katie Hopkins a platform.#Auspol pic.twitter.com/CD6JOGLDNl
— 💧 Sleeping Giants Oz 📣 (@slpng_giants_oz) July 17, 2021
A new low. British far-right commentator Katie Hopkins – banned from Twitter for hateful conduct – has made it to Sydney. Meanwhile, thousands of Australian families are separated from their loved ones overseas.
— Mehreen Faruqi (@MehreenFaruqi) July 17, 2021
Hopkins’ presence in Australia also flies in the face of the 1000s of Australians stranded overseas, unable to come home due to COVID-19 restrictions. Australian Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese tweeted, “it is a disgrace that this right-wing extremist was given a tick, while over 30000 Australian citizens are stranded overseas.”
In a statement from Home Affairs minister Karen Andrews, Andrews said of Katie Hopkins: “It is despicable that anyone would behave in such a way. ” She has directed Australian border force to urgently review Hopkins visa.
Just caught up on the news that Caitlyn Jenner & Katie Hopkins are allowed into Australia for Celebrity Big Brother, when tens of thousands of Australians overseas can’t get back home. I cannot. With the Australian arts sector decimated, why not cast some Australian celebs in BB?
— Carly Findlay OAM (she/her) (@carlyfindlay) July 17, 2021
I've had many low points in this pandemic but the Katie Hopkins bullshit has left me in a white hot rage. It shows our government's naked contempt for every Australian separated from family by closed international borders. Our citizenship is worth nothing. This country is broken.
— Jill Stark (@jillastark) July 17, 2021
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce also said he would have no issue with deporting Hopkins if she was found to have broken quarantine policies.
“I’m the one who wanted to send home Johnny Depp’s dog so I have no problem sending home someone who wants to flout our laws,” he told the ABC.
🚨 statement from Home Affairs minister Karen Andrews on Katie Hopkins:
“It is despicable that anyone would behave in such a way” – she’s asked Border Force to “urgently review” the case #auspol pic.twitter.com/Cp69w0KBje— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) July 18, 2021
This is absolutely spot on – it is a disgrace that this right wing extremist was given a tick, while over 30000 Australian citizens are stranded overseas https://t.co/9pk6NwIxbd
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 17, 2021
Apart from touting hotel quarantine laws, Hopkins is also an all-around bigot. Currently banned from Twitter for hate speech, she reached international levels of condemnation back in 2015 when she wrote a column describing Muslims as cockroaches. The UN also condemned her for calling for a “final solution” policy against migrants in the UK.
While it is a step in the right direction that Border Force is reviewing Hopkins’ visa, the question begs why she was approved in the first place? What does it say about Australia that the government would sooner approve the visa’s of far-right bigots for reality TV, than allow it’s own stranded citizens passage home?
Update: According to the Guardian, Katie Hopkins is expected to be dumped as a cast member of Seven’s Big Brother VIP and will leave the country after breaching her contract.