Entertainment
Katie Hopkins causes outrage by flying to Sydney and flouting quarantine rules
Hopkins has reportedly arrived in Australia (Picture: Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images for Politicon)
Australian politicians have spoken out after Katie Hopkins reportedly landed in Sydney, despite tens of thousands of Australians being stranded overseas due to reduced flight caps.
The limit on the number of international arrivals coming into Australia via commercial flights was halved from July 14, over concerns about the Delta variant of Covid-19.
The reduced cap on international arrivals meant Australia’s weekly state and territory intake was reduced from the previous cap of 6,370 (which included an extra 300 spots for vulnerable people to return via Brisbane) to 3,070.
Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has indicated that the cap could be in place until at least the end of the year, meaning many Australians will be unable to travel back home in 2021.
However, Hopkins, 46, shared a now-deleted half hour-long video to Instagram and YouTube claiming that not only was she in a Sydney hotel room, but she was flouting quarantine rules by refusing to wear a mask.
Calling Covid-19 lockdowns ‘the greatest hoax in human history’, Hopkins joked that she was opening her hotel room door naked, saying: ‘The police officer who checked me in told me when they knock on my door I have to wait 30 seconds ’til I can open the door [to collect food]. Then I can open the door but only if I wear a face mask.
‘[To] frighten the s*** out of them and do it naked with no face mask. What I want is the sergeant in the foyer to come up and tell me off so that I can stand there naked while he tells me off.’
She added: ‘You are living through the greatest hoax in human history, they are trying to take everything from you, and one of the very best and most powerful weapons we have is a sense of humour, and someone like me is probably a massive thorn in their sides.’
In an earlier video, still viewable on her Instagram page, the former Apprentice star said: ‘Before you ask how have I managed to get here, you will know that I have always called lockdown the greatest hoax in human history – I have never subscribed to it. So in terms of hypocrisy I see that with politicians who are locking people down, but I’ve never been an advocate for that.’
When asked by a follower: ‘Did you get in because you’re a journalist? We have family desperately trying to get over to see family’, Hopkins responded: ‘Yup. It is just an awful thing. Real families desperate to be United. Please font think I wouldn’t give up my place for one of them [sic].’
There are rumours that Hopkins has flown to Australia to take part in Big Brother VIP, with Caitlyn Jenner and Neil Patrick Harris – who had quarantined in Australia to shoot Australia’s Got Talent before the show was postponed due to lockdown – also rumoured to be part of the line-up.
Hopkins’ apparent trip to Sydney has caused outrage on social media, with many furious that the far-right commentator who was permanently suspended from Twitter for hateful conduct was allowed into Australia while family members and friends were unable to come home.
Greens senator for New South Wales Mehreen Faruqi tweeted: ‘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.
‘I haven’t seen my mother or my daughter since 2019. It says a lot about our priorities that Hopkins can be permitted to come here and spew her vitriol during a pandemic. It’s as breathtaking as it is soul-crushing.’
Andrew Giles MP added: ‘Deeply concerning to hear reports that far-right activist Katie Hopkins, who’s been banned from Twitter for ‘hateful conduct’ has somehow come to Australia from the UK. How has she been permitted to travel here to spread hate – when thousands of Australians remain stranded?’
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Taking aim at Morrison and his ‘leaky’ quarantine system in a statement, Giles wrote: ‘Despite Twitter’s decision to keep its platform safe, Mr Morrison has rolled out the red carpet fro Ms Hopkins providing her with a visa and border exemption. Now that Ms Hopkins is in Australia, she has begun broadcasting from what she described as “VIP quarantine” and has explained how she is opening up her hotel door naked and without a face mask in a deliberate attempt to breach hotel quarantine rules. This is grossly disrespectful to frontline workers who are only trying to keep us safe.’
The Last Leg star Adam Hills, who has said that he will be likely unable to see his children in Australia this year, also commented on the situation, tweeting: ‘It’s a funny old world, innit?’
At the time Hopkins was removed from Twitter, she had hit out at Marcus Rashford’s campaign for free school meals for children, as well as mocking Jesy Nelson’s Instagram pictures.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Seven with regards to the Big Brother rumours.
