Protester briefly disrupts Australian Open match with political message

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Jan 22, 2024, 14:12 IST

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A protester interrupted the Australian Open match between Alexander Zverev and Cameron Norrie by throwing anti-war pamphlets on the court. The protester, wearing a blue shirt, cap, and face mask, threw the pamphlets from the stands behind the baseline. The pamphlets, which carried the message "Free Palestine: While you're watching tennis, bombs are dropping on Gaza," were printed in black on white.

Protester briefly disrupts Australian Open match with political message

A woman throws flyers that says 'Free Palestine'. (Reuters Photo)

NEW DELHI: A protester caused a momentary interruption during the fourth-round match between Alexander Zverev and Cameron Norrie at the Australian Open on Monday.
Wearing a blue shirt, cap, and face mask, the protester threw anti-war pamphlets onto the court, briefly delaying the game on Margaret Court Arena.
During the sixth game of the third set, the individual threw the papers from the stands behind the baseline.
The pamphlets, printed in black on white pages, carried the message "Free Palestine: While you're watching tennis, bombs are dropping on Gaza."

The incident prompted a short pause as ball kids gathered the papers, after which the match resumed.

Ball kids pick up flyers about Palestine thrown by a woman. (Reuters Photo)

Security quickly escorted the protester away from the court. Tennis Australia has stated that they are awaiting further information before providing a comment on the incident.
The protest is related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which began with Hamas' attack in southern Israel on October 7.
(With inputs from AP)

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