Kanye West could be denied Australian visa over antisemitic rants, official says

Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West may be denied a visa to enter Australia because of his history of making antisemitic comments, a government minister said Wednesday.

Education Minister Jason Clare told Nine Network television that the musician would likely face scrutiny if he tried to enter the country.

“I don’t know if he’s applied for a visa yet but google it and you’ll see that it seems like he’s a pretty big fan of a person who killed six million Jewish people last century,” Clare said.

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

Clare’s comments arrived after reports that Ye and his new wife Bianca Censori intend to visit her family in Melbourne.

Ye has made a number of antisemitic remarks in public in recent months, including in an interview with Alex Jones, which have resulted in social media bans and Ye losing lucrative corporate partnerships.

Under Australia’s Migration Act law, non-citizens are required to meet security and character standards and several Australians have argued Ye should be banned.

“His antisemitic comments are disgraceful, his conduct and his behavior is appalling, and he’s not a person of good character,” Opposition leader and former immigration minister Peter Dutton said in a radio interview Tuesday.

If Ye were denied, he would not be the first culture war figure to be denied entry.

Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes was denied a visa in 2018 after a petition campaign.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic was also deported from the country ahead of the 2022 Australian Open for not being vaccinated against COVID-19 and received a three-year travel ban. However, the ban was lifted and Djokovic was allowed to compete in the 2023 Open.

With News Wire Services