Jul 3, 2025
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced on Wednesday that rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has had his visa canceled due to repeated antisemitic behavior. Citing Ye’s controversial song “Heil Hitler,” which features disturbing lyrics and Nazi imagery, Burke stated that officials reassessed Ye’s eligibility to enter the country and concluded he no longer met the standard for a valid visa. “We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry,” Burke said. Ye, who has familial ties to Australia through his wife, Bianca Censori, had visited the country regularly. However, his escalating public admiration of Nazi symbols and inflammatory rhetoric prompted strong pushback from groups like the Australian Jewish Association, which advocated for his ban.
This move comes amid a broader crackdown on antisemitism in Australia. The government recently banned Ye’s ideological ally, Candace Owens, over her past statements denying the Holocaust. Australia has seen a troubling rise in antisemitic incidents in recent months, including the repeated vandalism of a Melbourne synagogue with slogans such as “Iran is da bomb” and “Free Palestine.” Authorities suspect foreign influence may be funding these hate crimes through cryptocurrency. Under Australian law, public displays of Nazi symbols and gestures like the “Heil Hitler” salute are criminal offenses punishable by prison time. Minister Burke made it clear: promoting Nazism through music or public statements will not be tolerated.
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SOURCE: The Algemeiner