Australia’s Immigration Minister Tony Burke has blocked controversial American right-wing commentator Candace Owens from entering the country. Per News.com.au, Owens, 35, had been booked to travel to Australia for five live shows in November.
But her visa was canceled by Burke over the weekend. “From downplaying the impact of the holocaust with comments about Mengele through to claims that Muslims started slavery, Candace Owens has the capacity to incite discord in almost every direction,” Burke explained.
The politician also said that “Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else.”
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Owens is known for stirring controversy with some of her comments. Besides being accused of propagating anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, the Anti-Defamation League also claims that the 35-year-old right-wing commentator has described Judaism as a “pedophile-centric religion that believes in demons … child sacrifice.”
Owens was scheduled to host her first event on November 17 in the Australian city of Melbourne. Tickets for reserved seating were going for $95 while attendees interested in having a pre-show VIP dinner with Owens were being charged up to $1500.
“Join us for an electrifying evening with Candace Owens, the outspoken and fearless American conservative social commentator, author, activist, and YouTube sensation,” the promoters for the Candace Owens Live tour said on their website, per News.com.au.
“Known for her controversial takes and unwavering stance, Candace is set to light up stages across Australia and New Zealand with her bold and unfiltered perspectives.”
But Burke had already signaled his intention to cancel her visa. “Tickets to these events are selling for $100. I hope she has a good refunds policy,” he said back in August. “There hasn’t been an application for a visa but if there is the brief will come to me personally. My opposition to anti-Semitism and Islamophobia has always been on the record. I have clear legal powers to knock back a visa to anyone who would incite discord.”
The decision to cancel Owens’ visa was also welcomed by the Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich. “Today, we welcome the decision of the Australian government to revoke the visa of Candace Owens, a known peddler of dangerous rhetoric against Jews and other groups and unapologetic Holocaust denial,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
“This is a victory for truth, for decency, and for the millions of Jewish souls and millions of others whose memory she so shamelessly desecrated. The ADC, along with Annetta Able, the oldest surviving victim of Mengel, and her daughter Daphne, have fought tirelessly to prevent Owens from spreading her poisonous lies on Australian soil. She is no mere provocateur. Her statements have crossed the line into vile revisionism.”
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