Kanye West has been banned from entering Australia after the country’s Immigration Minister revoked his visa following the release of his controversial song Heil Hitler
Australia has barred rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, from entering the country in the wake of his contentious song Heil Hitler, confirmed Immigration Minister Tony Burke. Speaking on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Burke revealed that West’s valid visa was rescinded after officials scrutinised his provocative comments linked to the song. “He’s made a lot of offensive comments that my officials looked at again once he released [that] song,” Burke stated.
Despite West having familial connections in Australia through his wife Bianca Censori, the visa he possessed wasn’t intended for concert purposes but fell under a lower-level category. “Officials still looked at the law and said if you’re going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism, we don’t need that in Australia,” the minister further commented.
Burke’s remarks were part of a conversation about Israeli-American tech advocate Hillel Fuld, whose visa was allegedly revoked due to Islamophobic statements.
The Minister clarified that his department “never actually got” an application from Fuld but added: “If someone argued that antisemitism was rational, I would not let them come here on a speaking tour. And if someone has the same view of Islamophobia, I don’t want them here when the purpose of the visa is to give public speeches,” reports the Mirror.
He stressed that public advocates are held to higher standards, but highlighted that West’s visa cancellation was unique as it wasn’t linked to advocacy. Rumours about West’s ability to visit Australia began circulating in 2023, largely due to his marriage to Australian Bianca.
Government official Jason Clare had previously suggested that West’s history of antisemitic comments could warrant a visa denial, but these comments were made before Burke took over and prior to the release of Heil Hitler earlier this year.
Burke didn’t confirm a permanent ban on West, explaining that visa applications are reassessed according to current law. “I’m not taking away the way the act operates, but even for the lowest level of visa, when my officials looked at it, they cancelled that following the announcement of that song,” he stated.
“We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry.”
The Grammy-winning hip-hop artist’s latest album, WW3, features the controversial track “Heil Hitler”, which includes contentious lyrics. The song mirrors Kanye’s recent attitude towards Nazis, with the rapper referring to himself as a “villain”, and repeatedly chanting, “Heil Hitler” throughout the track.
In “Heil Hitler”, West makes a series of questionable claims and takes shots at Drake. He raps, “n***** be actin like f****** so much, I think they might be Drake… they don’t understand the things I say on Twitter… all my n***** Nazis n**** Heil Hitler.”
The Runaway singer recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his frustration with a performance issue, stating: “I’m being told there’s an issue with me performing Hell Hitler. I am doing Heil Hitler at all my shows.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
