Katie Hopkins Has Been Deported from Australia

Far-right attention seeker Katie Hopkins has been dropped from a reality TV show, fined $1,000 and deported from Australia for not wearing a face-covering while quarantining in a hotel, after she posted a video boasting of how she would breach lockdown restrictions.

Hopkins had been quarantining in a hotel in Sydney, before her appearance as a housemate on Channel 7’s Celebrity Big Brother. She had been controversially granted a travel exemption to appear on the show.

On Friday, Hopkins released a video on Instagram in which she said, “Lockdown is and remains the greatest hoax in human history.”

She boasted how she would try and “frighten the shit” out of guards by answering the door naked and without a face mask. She said she would wait in her bathrobe and wait for someone to knock on the door, before opening it naked with no face mask.

Hopkins added that she would “probably get thrown out of the country.”

In that respect, she was right. On Monday, a statement from New South Wales Police said, “Police attached to the hotel quarantine operation were notified of an alleged breach of the Public Health Order (Covid-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) at a hotel on Sussex Street, Sydney, about 8.45PM on Friday.

“Following inquiries, a 46-year-old woman was issued a $1,000 Penalty Infringement Notice for not wear[ing] face covering yesterday.

“NSW Police assisted Australian Border Force with the transfer of the woman to Sydney International Airport this afternoon, following the cancellation of her visa, departing to the United Kingdom.”

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews told Australian broadcaster ABC News. “The fact that she was out there boasting about breaching quarantine was appalling.”

“It was a slap in the face for all those Australians who are currently in lockdown, and it‘s just unacceptable behaviour.

“Personally, I’m very pleased she’ll be leaving.”

The Australian government says that granting people travel exemptions is fairly common where there is an economic case for that person being allowed into Australia. However critics have questioned the decision, given her views.

Anthony Albanese, leader of the opposition Labor Party, told reporters, “Australia should never have let this right-wing nut job in.”

“It is a disgrace. The fact that the federal government gave this woman a visa is outrageous and an insult to all those stranded Australians overseas.”