Fans are banned from waving certain flags and displaying material deemed ‘political in nature’ (Image: GETTY)
bosses have been accused of going soft on pro-Palestine protesters after some fans were spotted wearing political messages on their shirts.
Earlier this week, tournament director Craig Tiley said that anybody waving banned flags would be removed from the venue or arrested by police. It extends to anybody ‘displaying material intended to disrupt, offend, vilify or that is political in nature’.
However, images from Melbourne Park have shown fans wearing shirts carrying pro-Palestine messages, leading Australian Jewish Association chief executive Robert Gregory to suggest the rules are not being properly enforced.
He told : “The rules should be applied equally to everyone. There should not be an exception for Palestinian activists.
Spectators were previously banned from wearing shirts in support of Chinese player Peng Shuai (Image: GETTY)
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“Australians have been confronted by anti- protests and disruptions to our cities for over a year. The last place Australians want to see this is at the tennis.”
The policy at the is to only allow flags from nations with players competing at the tournament, but Russian and Belarusian flags are banned regardless of who is playing due to the war in .
Three years ago, fans at the were banned from wearing shirts displaying the slogan: ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’ following her disappearance in China. The ban was later overturned due to public pressure.
This was recently pointed out by the Australian Jewish Association, who accused tournament chiefs of turning a blind eye to pro-Palestine messages despite cracking down on other slogans.
They said: “The apparently has a rule banning political slogans. They even enforced that against fans who were supporting Chinese player Peng Shuai. Not so when it comes to the ‘Free Palestine’ crowd.”
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Earlier this month, Israeli player Lina Glushko was barred from stepping on court for a qualifying round match because she was wearing a yellow ribbon pin calling for the release of hostages in Gaza, which was deemed a political statement.
She got around the ban by tying an actual yellow ribbon to her hair, but went on to lose at the hands of French opponent Leolia Jeanjean.
Tournament director Tiley recently said that fans would be allowed to wave the Israeli flag if there was a player from the country involved at the tournament.
“The ultimate objective is to make sure our fans are happy and to provide a safe and enjoyable environment in which they can watch the tennis, and if at any time that is compromised then we step in,” explained Tiley.
“So, we’re making it very clear. If there is a player that is not from a country that is competing, you’re not welcome on site with a flag from any other country.”