Katie Hopkins’ Australian visa has been revoked, hours after Channel Seven ripped up her Celebrity Big Brother contract for ‘joking’ about breaking quarantine rules while in Sydney.
The British far-right commentator, 46, was given her marching orders on Monday morning following an urgent review from the Federal Government about her comments regarding Sydney’s lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hopkins had uploaded a live video from what she claimed was a Sydney hotel room on Saturday morning during a mandatory 14-day quarantine, during which she described Covid-19 lockdowns as ‘the greatest hoax in human history’ and joked about breaching restrictions.
Time to go: The Federal Government has cancelled Katie Hopkins’ (pictured) visa, after the British media personality, 46, shared her plans to flout Australia’s strict quarantine rules
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews described Katie’s comments as ‘shameful’ in an interview with ABC News Breakfast on Monday.
‘The fact that she was out there boasting about breaching quarantine was just appealing. It was a slap in the face for all those Australians who are currently in lockdown,’ she said.
‘And it’s just unacceptable behaviour, so personally I’m very pleased she’ll be leaving.
The news comes after Katie was officially dumped from the upcoming Australian series of Celebrity Big Brother.
In a statement provided to Daily Mail Australia on Sunday, a network spokesperson confirmed: ‘Seven Network and Endemol Shine Australia confirm that Katie Hopkins is not part of Big Brother VIP.
‘Seven and Endemol Shine strongly condemn her irresponsible and reckless comments in hotel quarantine.’
Cut: In a statement on Sunday, a network spokesperson confirmed: ‘Seven Network and Endemol Shine Australia confirm that Hopkins is not part of Big Brother VIP’
Hopkins, who recently flew to Sydney ahead of her appearance on Seven’s all-star season of Big Brother, caused public backlash over the weekend after claiming she was planning to deliberately flout restrictions while staying in hotel quarantine.
At 5am on Saturday, Hopkins took to Instagram live to post a speech where she ‘called out’ the lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne.
During the video, Hopkins openly mocked the 14-day hotel quarantine rules revealing she planned to deliberately break them by opening her door completely naked and mask-free to workers who deliver her food.
‘The police officer who checked me in told me, when they knock on my door I have to wait 30 seconds until I can open the door,’ she says while breaking out into hysterics. ‘I can open the door but I can only do it in a face mask.’
Australia’s response to Covid-19 has been praised by scientists including top US medic Dr Anthony Fauci, who called the country a world leader on ‘containment and management of emerging variants’.
The country, which is geographically isolated from the European and American epidemics and enjoys a low population density like New Zealand, has imposed tougher border measures than most, including the UK – and imposed snap lockdowns to reduce community transmission.
While Hopkins laughed off Australia’s Covid lockdown restrictions and quarantine rules, the mother-of-three claimed in 2017 that she isn’t ‘anti-vaccine’, saying all her children were up to date with their flu-jabs.
Despite her amusement at her own antics, which she described as ‘a game’, other travellers stuck in hotel quarantine were outraged by her behaviour.
Posting to the closed Facebook group ‘Australians in quarantine facilities’ one user wrote: ‘This is abhorrent…some people are racing against time with the quarantine trying to get to family members. This is really cruel and sick.’
’Anyone else who has just returned home like me, too ashamed to admit how ashamed I am of my own country right now?’ wrote another traveller.
‘What has happened to Aussie spirit, our heart, mates looking after mates, the Govt caring about its own people. Has it been lost over the last few years?
‘…It makes my blood boil that so many fellow Aussies are stranded and cannot get home yet we can waste seats and hotel rooms on actors etc.’
Another person said: ‘We’ll not get in to why it was deemed necessary for her to enter the country, when an Australian citizen could have had her quarantine space.’
However, a Home Affairs spokeswoman told news.com.au that Ms Hopkins did not take the place of Australians desperate to return to their home country.
‘These travel exemptions were approved based on support by the NSW Government as they met the critical skills category for inwards travel,’ she said.
‘These travellers did not take the place of returning Australians as their travel was above the hotel quarantine caps.’
Sparking backlash: At 5am Saturday Hopkins posted an Instagram story describing ‘a game’ where she answers her hotel quarantine room door naked and without a mask
Hopkins was supposed to be taking part in Big Brother VIP, after initially starring in the UK’s Celebrity Big Brother in 2015
Members of the closed group ‘Australians in quarantine facilities’ vent their outrage
Questioned: Many travellers in quarantine questioned why Hopkins was allowed to fly into the country while Australians are stranded overseas
Raising eyebrows: Hopkins often makes posts mocking mask mandates and lockdowns on Instagram since being banned from Twitter in June last year for ‘hateful conduct’
Hopkins’ entry to Australia had even drawn the attention and criticism of MP’s.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said on ABC’s Insiders: ‘I’m the one who wanted to send home Johnny Depp’s dogs home so I have no problem sending home someone who wants to flout our laws.
‘If you want to do that, pack your bongo and get out of the country.’
Acting Shadow Minister for Home Affairs Andrew Giles openly criticised the Prime Minister’s decision to provide her with a visa into the country.
‘Now that Ms Hopkins is in Australia, she has begun broadcasting from what 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.’ Mr Giles said.
‘This is grossly disrespectful to frontline workers who are only trying to keep us safe.’
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said on ABC’s Insiders: ‘I’m the one who wanted to send home Johnny Depp’s dogs home so I have no problem sending home someone who wants to flout our laws’
Suspended: Hopkins’ Twitter account was suspended in June last year after violating the platform’s policy on ‘hateful conduct’
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews also earlier said on Sunday that she had personally asked Australian Border Force to investigate whether or not Hopkins had breached any hotel quarantine rules.
‘It is despicable that anyone would behave in such a way that puts our health officials and community at risk,’ Ms Andrews said.
‘I have directed Australian Border Force to immediately consider the facts of this matter and urgently review whether this individual is complying with the requirements of her visa.’
Controversial: In a video uploaded to the social media platform on Friday, filmed from her hotel quarantine, Ms Hopkins described the lockdown as ‘the greatest hoax in history’
Hopkins often takes to Instagram to publish a myriad of posts mocking lockdowns and mask mandates.
In a video uploaded to the social media platform on Friday, filmed from her hotel quarantine, Ms Hopkins described lockdowns as ‘the greatest hoax in history’.
‘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,’ she said.
While Hopkins is yet to speak out about being axed from Celebrity Big Brother Australia, she shared a bizarre video on Instagram mocking the COVID-19 crisis.
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‘This is important – we’ve just heard that there’s been a new variant, Delta plus, and you have to be very, very afraid of it,’ she said, adding that ‘VIPs’ didn’t need to worry but ‘if you’re a pleb like me, you must be very afraid’.
She then lifted up a sanitary towel in the air, she offensively added: ‘all politicians are about as useful as a tampon on a tranny.’
Outspoken: ‘In terms of hypocrisy I see that- with politicians locking people down – but I’ve never been an advocate for that,’ she said in the video
