Australia says rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, may be denied a visa to travel to Australia due to his anti-Semitic comments.
Education Minister, Jason Clare’s comments come after media reports that Ye intends to visit his new Australian partner’s family in Melbourne next week.
Clare stated that he does not know if Ye has applied for a visa yet, but that Australia has previously denied entry to individuals with anti-Semitic views.
“I don’t know if he’s applied for a visa yet, but if you Google it, you’ll see that it seems like he’s a pretty big fan of a person who killed six million Jewish people last century,” said Clare on the Today show on Australia’s Nine Network television. “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 they did.”
I was asked about Kanye on Today 👇 pic.twitter.com/3GEPhdv6Sb
— Jason Clare MP (@JasonClareMP) January 24, 2023
Last month, Ye praised Hitler in an interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Twitter subsequently suspended Ye’s account after he tweeted a picture of a swastika merged with the Star of David. Ye has also been dropped by major corporate partners, including Adidas, over his comments.
The decision on whether Ye will be granted an Australian visa will be made by Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.
Australia’s Migration Act sets security and character requirements for non-citizens entering the country. Australia has previously refused or revoked visas to far-right figures for failing the “good character” test.
Australia’s opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has also stated that if he were in government, he would be inclined to bar Ye on character grounds.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, or ECAJ, an official peak national body representing the Australian Jewish community, told Sky News they have made representations to the government that the visa denial would be in the national interests.