It looks like Candace Owens won’t be doing any speaking engagements in Australia anytime soon, after government officials have made it plain that what she calls free speech isn’t welcome in their country.
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According to Reuters, Owens initially submitted an application for a visa in October 2024 for a set of tour dates around the country, which were set to begin the following month.
However, her application was denied by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke over concerns that her past “inflammatory” comments directed at Black, Muslim, Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities, would stir up unwanted “hostility and violent or radical action” in the community. Owens appealed to the High Court, which upheld the Home Affairs Minister’s decision.
Unlike the United States, Australia does not have any constitutional rules in place that protect free speech. In their unanimous decision, High Court Justices Stephen Gageler, Michelle Gordon and Robert Beech-Jones ruled that Owens be denied entry into the country based on the Migration Act, which allows the government to deny visas to outsiders who they believe would “stir up or encourage dissension or strife on political matters.” And if keeping her out of the country wasn’t bad enough, the High Court is also ordering the conservative influencer who has over 5 million subscribers on YouTube to foot the bill for the government’s legal costs.
In a statement about the initial ruling, Minister Tony Burke said Owens’ agenda is not welcome in Australia.
“Inciting discord might be the way some people make money, but it’s not welcome in Australia. Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else,” he said.
When it comes to what it believes to be inflammatory speech, Australia does not play. In July, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West was denied entry into the country due to concerns that his song “Heil Hitler” promoted Nazi ideology.
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