Australia debates barring Kanye West from entry over ‘appalling’ anti-Semitic behaviour

The US rapper’s anti-Semitic remarks about Hitler and the Holocaust have united past and present government ministers in calling for him to be barred
Australia previously refused visas to far-right figures. Ye, as he’s now known, reportedly wants to visit to meet his partner Bianca Censori’s family

Australia

Reuters

Published: 2:01pm, 25 Jan 2023

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American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, may not be suitable for an Australian visa because of his history of anti-Semitic remarks, a government minister said on Wednesday, as pressure mounted to deny the award-winning performer entry.

Education Minister Jason Clare condemned Ye’s “awful” anti-Semitic comments involving Hitler and the Holocaust, saying others who had made similar statements had been denied visas.

“People like that who’ve applied for visas to get into Australia in the past have been rejected,” Clare said in an interview on Channel Nine. “I expect that if he does apply he would have to go through the same process and answer the same questions that they did.”

British conspiracy theorist David Icke is among those who’ve previously had visas revoked for failing Australia’s “good character” test. Photo: Facebook

A spokesperson for Ye did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Local media reported that Ye would visit to Australia to meet the family of his partner, Bianca Censori, who grew up in Melbourne.

Ye has been dropped by major corporate partners, including Adidas and banned from Twitter because of anti-Semitic remarks and outbursts on social media against other celebrities.

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Last month, Ye praised Hitler in an interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Twitter later suspended Ye after he tweeted a picture of a swastika merged with the Star of David.

Australia has previously refused or revoked visas to far-right figures for failing the “good character” test. British conspiracy theorist David Icke had his visa revoked in 2019, just before starting a speaking tour.

Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys, a male-only group who identify as “Western Chauvists”, was denied a visa in 2018 after a public campaign that included a petition with 81,000 signatories, according to local media.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton, immigration minister under a previous government, said on Tuesday that he would be inclined to ban Ye but that it was a decision for the government.

His anti-Semitic comments are disgraceful, his conduct and his behaviour are appalling

Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton on Kanye “Ye” West

“His anti-Semitic comments are disgraceful, his conduct [and] his behaviour are appalling,” he told 3AW radio. “He’s not a person of good character and the minister has the ability to stop somebody coming into our country of bad character.”

Any decision on whether Ye gets an Australian visa would be made by Immigration Minister Andrew Giles, whose office said he could not comment on individual cases due to privacy reasons.

Peter Wertheim, co-chief executive officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, met officials on Tuesday to argue for an entry ban.

“We had a sympathetic hearing,” Wertheim said on Sky News. “We’ve made the case that this particular individual does not meet the character test and that it would be in the national interest not to grant him a visa and we set out our reasons in some detail in that letter.”

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Ye and Censori intend to visit her family who live in the northeast Melbourne suburb of Ivanhoe next week, Seven Network News reported.

Ye and Censori recently married less than two months after he finalised his divorce from Kim Kardashian, entertainment news website TMZ reported two weeks ago.

Additional reporting by Associated Press