No-vax is No Djoke: Collective Effervescence Against Australian Immigration Law

The image above is a photograph of several fans of Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic congregating outside of a hotel, doubling as an immigration detention facility in Melbourne, Australia, in early 2022, where the athlete was rumored to be staying. Four fans hold hands outside the building, despite, it appears, heavy rainfall. One fan has a scarf with a Serbian flag design draped over her head, another wears a red tee shirt, with what appears to be a Serbian crest, and holds a large Serbian flag. Behind the four fans in the front, more fans hold up a very large, customized banner featuring various Serbian flag motifs, a superimposed image of Djokovic, Cyrillic writing, and in English, the phrase “Nole Forever,” “Nole” being a nickname for Djokovic. 

This photograph was taken in January of 2022, after, upon his arrival in Melbourne to compete in the Australian Open later that month, Novak Djokovic was detained by immigration, as his visa had been revoked for failing to comply with the necessary qualifications to enter the country at the time, namely, being vaccinated against Covid-19. Djokovic had previously spoken out against the Covid-19 vaccination, refusing it, and claiming that he had an exemption from needing it. Without adequate proof, his visa was revoked by the Australian government, and he was placed in a immigration detention facility while awaiting his hearing. This image was taken by photographers for AP news to document the outpouring of support for Djokovic by his loyal fans and supporters. There are several social movements represented in this image, the most blatant being nationalism, with fans using Serbian symbols and paraphernalia to show their support for an athlete who hails from there. Another relevant social movement is the anti-vaxx movement, which Djokovic became somewhat of a champion of, regardless of whether or not he intended to. He maintained that his decision not to get the vaccine was a personal choice, and stated that he did not judge those who did, but his refusal alone became a stance that anti-vaxxers could stand behind. This image also speaks to the dedicated nature of fan culture, especially surrounding sports and athletes.

Collective effervescence is a concept from Durkheim’s Elementary Forms of Religious Life which outlines how groups ascribe importance to certain symbols and belief systems through the powerful feeling of togetherness. Collective effervescence occurs when a group is gathered physically with a shared focus, creating feelings of solidarity so powerful that they can make the object of their focus an influential force upon their belief systems. Durkheim argues that individuals are not acted upon by forces such as religion, and rather the influential nature of these totems is created by this collective effervescence, which motivates people to act in accordance with whatever values become associated with said totem. Thus, society labels what is considered sacred, and therefore in line with the belief system, or profane, and against the created norms.

    This image is a representation of collective effervescence, as the collective energy of engaging in fan culture creates a solidarity so palpable that it becomes all-consuming. It is the same type of powerful collective energy that gives power to religion, as Durkheim writes in Elementary Forms, but the object of that dedication can be anything, including an athlete such as Novak Djokovic. Durkheim writes “under the influence of the general exaltation, we see the most mediocre and inoffensive bourgeois become either a hero or a butcher.” The exaltation, in the context of Djokovic, is watching the excellence of his tennis, or for those of Serbian descent, the pride of seeing someone with your shared identity succeed. While in this case, Djokovic is not considered mediocre in tennis skill, as he is often labelled the “GOAT,” or Greatest of All Time. So while his role as a tennis player is lauded, his role as an iconic and influential cultural figure outside of sports, is not backed up with any qualifications. The shared emotional bond of being a fan of Novak Djokovic bonds these individuals together, in a network that expands far outside those represented in this image, and the solidarity felt between fans gives a power to Djokovic as almost a larger-than-life figure. Their reverence for him gives him the ability to not only stand in for, but also become, a social movement. Fans were enraged by what they believed to be Djokovic’s unfair detention, and their admiration for Djokovic as a totemic figure made his cause become their cause. Sports fandom is, in and of itself, a form of collective effervescence, but coupled with the additional unifying factors of social movements and national identity, the power imbued in an individual through collective effervescence can radicalize a group. The people in this photograph may not themselves be anti-vaxxers, or of Serbian descent, but they showed up to support Djokovic because they believed he should be allowed special treatment, and gain access to a country no other individual in his circumstance was able to enter. Seeing the idolized athlete treated as equal to any other civilian is what enraged his fans to the point of action. The power of this anger over a perceived injustice brought these fans together to congregate through collective effervescence.

Bibliography

Anon. 2022. “Djokovic Fans Protest Shock Detention.” Taipeitimes.com. Retrieved April 2, 2026 (https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2022/01/08/2003770965).

Blair, Hamish. 2022. Protestors Dance Outside an Immigration Detention Hotel in Melbourne Where Serbia’s Novak Djokovic Is Believed to Be Staying.

Ritchie, Hannah, Hilary Whiteman, Julia Hollingsworth, and Anna Coren. 2022. “Novak Djokovic’s Fans Are Fighting to Get Him out of His Hotel. Inside, Refugees Wonder If They’ll Ever Leave.” CNN. Retrieved April 2, 2026 (https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/07/tennis/novak-djokovic-australia-protests-intl-hnk-dst-spt).