Saturday, December 20, 2025
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

    Blasphemy Case Registered Against Six For 'Desecrating' Sikh Man's Turban in Pakistan

    Blasphemy Case Registered Against Six For 'Desecrating' Sikh Man's Turban in Pakistan
    Mahinder Paal Singh (29), a resident of Multan, told that he was travelling from Faisalabad to Multan by a bus owned by Kohistan-Faisal Movers company that broke down near Dijkot

    Blasphemy Case Registered Against Six For 'Desecrating' Sikh Man's Turban in Pakistan

    Dutch Court Recants Refusal To Delay Trial Of Accused In Amanda Todd Case

    Aydin Coban's previous lawyer, Christian van Dijk, still follows the proceedings closely and says his former client's case likely won't go to trial now until after summer.

    Dutch Court Recants Refusal To Delay Trial Of Accused In Amanda Todd Case

    Charge Dropped Against 'Trailer Park Boys' Actor Mike Smith In Los Angeles

    Charge Dropped Against 'Trailer Park Boys' Actor Mike Smith In Los Angeles
    Smith, who plays the character Bubbles on the Canadian cult comedy, was arrested on April 1 after an incident at a Hollywood hotel involving a woman.

    Charge Dropped Against 'Trailer Park Boys' Actor Mike Smith In Los Angeles

    Fears Of Donald Trump Drive Immigrants To Become Citizens

    Fears Of Donald Trump Drive Immigrants To Become Citizens
    Trump, the GOP front-runner, has pledged to deport the estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally.

    Fears Of Donald Trump Drive Immigrants To Become Citizens

    Pakistan Slams Donald Trump On Release Of 'CIA Doctor' Shakil Afridi

    Shakil Afridi, who is known in Pakistan as a CIA doctor and has been described as a hero in the US, is serving a 33-year-long jail term for treason.

    Pakistan Slams Donald Trump On Release Of 'CIA Doctor' Shakil Afridi

    The Sikh Project: Sikh Art Exhibit To Spread Awareness About Identity In US

    The Sikh Project: Sikh Art Exhibit To Spread Awareness About Identity In US
    UK-based photographers Amit and Naroop will click portraits of Sikh Americans under "The Sikh Project" mounted by The Sikh Coalition. These protraits will be unveiled around the 15th anniversary of 9/11.

    The Sikh Project: Sikh Art Exhibit To Spread Awareness About Identity In US