“Please. God. No”: Basil Zempilas mocked for AFL grand final suggestion
Basil Zempilas, Lord Mayor of Perth, probably didn’t anticipate quite this level of backlash when he shared an idea on Twitter on Friday morning, posting, “TOMORROW @OptusStadium - 20.21 in the first quarter #AFLGF - we’re asking everyone in the stadium to stand for one minute and applaud - a nod to our friends around the country who are doing it tough & to let them know we’re with them in this difficult time. Let’s do it WA”.
TOMORROW @OptusStadium - 20.21 in the first quarter #AFLGF
- we’re asking everyone in the stadium to stand for one minute and applaud - a nod to our friends around the country who are doing it tough & to let them know we’re with them in this difficult time. Let’s do it WA 👏💪🏆— Basil Zempilas (@BasilZempilas) September 23, 2021
The match, set to take place in Perth on Saturday night between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs, comes at a time when WA’s borders are closed to the majority of Australians, and will most likely remain closed for the foreseeable future. As many responses to Zempilas’ tweet pointed out, this hardly engenders feelings of solidarity.
An overwhelming number of responses focused on the families kept apart by Premier Mark McGowan’s tough approach to fighting the spread of COVID-19, and also pointed out that WA’s low vaccination rate was only prolonging these separations (WA currently has the lowest vaccination rate in the country).
Other footy fans said they’d rather everyone just got on with the game, frankly:
One Twitter user pointed out that amidst interstate sniping over lockdowns and vaccination distribution, it’s almost heartwarming to see the country come together to make fun of Zempilas’ terrible suggestion:
ABC Melbourne sport reporter Catherine Murphy even got the hashtag #NOBASILNO going, encouraging users who share her belief that Victorians have been subjected to enough to post using the hashtag in order for her to get an idea of just how many people found the suggestion patronising and meaningless.
Please. God. NO. @AFL
Can we just STOP the week?!!!
😩😩😩😩😩#NoBasilNo https://t.co/iwlyqTPQQz— Catherine Murphy (@CathMurphySport) September 24, 2021
Pre-match festivities kick off at 6.15pm on Saturday and include performances from John Butler, Eskimo Joe, Abbe May, Stella Donnelly, Men at Work’s Colin Hay, and Baker Boy. Birds of Tokyo will perform during half-time alongside the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.
Image: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images