Friday, June 12, 2026
ADVT 
International

Sikh Man Kicked Out Of Wimbledon Queue For 'Making People Uncomfortable'

IANS, 13 Jul, 2016 12:45 PM
    A 20-year-old Sikh man was kicked out of an overnight queue to watch the Wimbledon tennis championships as he apparently made other people around him "uncomfortable".
     
    Govindpal Kooner took to Facebook last week to voice his anger at being thrown out and claimed it was an act of racism, cases of which have reported a rise in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the European Union (EU).
     
    He wrote on Friday: "Kicked out of the overnight camping line for centre court Wimbledon line 'because you make some people around you uncomfortable, so we're gonna have to report you and ask you to leave immediately, sir'".
     

    "Post-Brexit racism and the overt rise of neo-facism. Please advise how best to report this," he said.
     
    The sportsman who himself dreams of playing professional tennis was eventually allowed to enter the ground after re-queuing in the line a few hours later and made an official complaint about his treatment.
     
    "I felt awful. I felt like I should've fought and negotiated but I backed down and silently left. I don't feel like I'm ever going back now. It's still one of my favourite tournaments but can no longer definitively say it's a lifelong dream to play on centre court," he was quoted as saying by Metro.
     
    Dozens of people responded to his post saying he should report the "discrimination" to police.
     
    A Wimbledon spokesperson said: "We can confirm that a gentleman was asked to leave the queue at 4.42 am this morning (Friday) after a number of complaints from his fellow queuers about his behaviour."
     
    He has previously been warned about his conduct in The Queue on up to six separate occasions during this year's Championships.
     
    "We do acknowledge, however, that in this instance the event safety staff could have provided a better explanation to him. Happily, the same person has been in the Grounds today (Friday) watching the tennis," he said.
     
    But the man insists he did nothing that would warrant being escorted off the grounds, was not intoxicated, loud or aggressive and had not been previously warned about his behaviour.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Indian-Origin MP Daniel Mookhey Takes Oath On Gita In Australia

    Indian-Origin MP Daniel Mookhey Takes Oath On Gita In Australia
    An Indian-origin MP from the Australian state of New South Wales on Tuesday become the first politician to be sworn in to Australian parliament on the Hindu religious text, the Bhagavad-Gita.

    Indian-Origin MP Daniel Mookhey Takes Oath On Gita In Australia

    Fresh 7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Kills 60 In Nepal, 10 In India, All Canadian Forces Members Safe

    Fresh 7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Kills 60 In Nepal, 10 In India, All Canadian Forces Members Safe
    At least 60 people were killed and 1,129 were injured when a massive earthquake shook Nepal on Tuesday causing panic in the Himalayan nation which was still recovering from the devastating April 25 temblor.

    Fresh 7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Kills 60 In Nepal, 10 In India, All Canadian Forces Members Safe

    British Indian MP Priti Patel Appointed Employment Minister

    British Indian MP Priti Patel has been appointed employment minister in Prime Minister David Cameron's new cabinet, BBC reported on Monday.

    British Indian MP Priti Patel Appointed Employment Minister

    Marriages For Visas: Indian Couple Charged Over Visa Scam Involving Bogus Marriages In Australia

    Marriages For Visas: Indian Couple Charged Over Visa Scam Involving Bogus Marriages In Australia
    Chetan Mohanlal Mashru has been accused of 17 counts of arranging marriages for visas and 28 other charges, including influencing a Commonwealth public official

    Marriages For Visas: Indian Couple Charged Over Visa Scam Involving Bogus Marriages In Australia

    Cancellation Of Indian-origin Doctor's Practice Demanded In Australian

    Cancellation Of Indian-origin Doctor's Practice Demanded In Australian
    Australian authorities have demanded that the practice of an Indian-origin surgeon facing disciplinary action be cancelled in view of his "unprofessional conduct", a media report said on Monday.

    Cancellation Of Indian-origin Doctor's Practice Demanded In Australian

    Indian Expat Attacked In Doha Mall For Anti-Islam Facebook Post

    Indian Expat Attacked In Doha Mall For Anti-Islam Facebook Post
    The three-minute video shows the group attacking the young man, suspected of having posted comments on Facebook that offended Muslims, outside a shopping mall perhaps on May 8, Peninsula Qatar reported on Monday.

    Indian Expat Attacked In Doha Mall For Anti-Islam Facebook Post