Australia has rejected far-right provocateur Candace Owens’ visa application ahead of a planned national tour, with Immigration Minister Tony Burke saying she has the “potential to incite discord”.
American conservative influencer and podcast host who has advanced conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic rhetoric, including downplaying Nazi medical experiments in concentration camps, has been barred from coming to Australia after the federal government raised concerns over his record. Will go.
“Minimizing the impact of the Holocaust with comments [notorious Nazi doctor Josef] From Mengele to allegations that Muslims started slavery, Candace Owens has the ability to incite discord in almost every direction, Burke said Sunday.
“Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is elsewhere.”
Owens had scheduled a five-day speaking tour of Australia in November with shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Tickets ranged from $95 for general admission to $295 for a VIP meet-and-greet and $1,500 for a private dinner with the conservative media personality.
He sparked controversy by making inflammatory allegations about Jews, transgender people and Muslims. In July, she appeared to express skepticism over well-documented Nazi medical experiments on prisoners, calling such reports “completely absurd” and “bizarre propaganda”.
The US Anti-Defamation League, which works to combat anti-Semitism, accused Owens came to “embrace and promote anti-Semitism and anti-Israel rhetoric”, noting comments where she called Judaism a “religion centered on pedophilia”. LGBTQ+ advocacy organization GLAAD pointed to Owens’ alleged anti-trans comments, including calling the movement for trans equality “evil” and “satanic.” He also said that “White supremacy and white nationalism are not a problem that is harming black America.”
Owens’ visit to Australia was opposed by some local Jewish groups, while opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson called him “a dangerous anti-Semite and a conspiracy theorist” during an interview with Sky Information.
Burke told Newspaper 9 in August that she had asked her department for a summary of her visit and had consulted with federal anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal.
9 first reported Sunday that Owens would not be allowed to enter Australia. Burke’s office confirmed that his visa had been denied.
Guardian Australia has contacted Owens’ manager and local tour promoter Roxman for comment. Neither person immediately responded to requests, and Owens did not address the Visa news on his social media accounts.
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Alan Cassuto, chief executive of the Zionist Federation of Australia, welcomed the news that Owens had been denied entry to Australia.
“Prejudice and anti-Semitism are unacceptable in any form, whether they originate from the far left or the right,” he said on Sunday.
“For the sake of our country’s social unity, there is no place in Australia for Candace Owens.”
During the pandemic, Owens drew comparisons to Hitler, Stalin and the Taliban and suggested that the US military invade Australia to liberate its people “suffering under totalitarian rule”.
