During the early days of January this year, in the heat of the Australian summer, the streets of Melbourne’s central business district had descended into brief, surreal chaos. People sat across the pavement, groaning as they furiously rubbed their faces. Puddles of milk were scattered across the street after people had rushed through the adjacent 7/11 on Collins Street, emptying the contents of whole cartons on burning eyes.
After spending their days dancing and protesting outside the immigration detention facility where Novak Djokovic had been held because of his unvaccinated status upon his arrival in Australia, a group of his supporters descended on his lawyer’s office. When they surrounded a car that they thought contained Djokovic, bringing it to a halt as some even stood on top of it, the police fired teargas. Those who did not turn away quickly enough soon hit the ground.
