The Australian government banned controversial right-wing influencer Candace Owens from entering the country over concerns she posed a threat to public order, officials announced on Oct. 26.
“Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else,” stated Immigration Minister Tony Burke after canceling her visa ahead of her upcoming speaking tour, where tickets started at $95 and went up to $1,500 for the VIP experience.
“From downplaying the impact of the Holocaust with comments about [Nazi physician Josef] Mengele through to claims that Muslims started slavery, Candace Owens has the capacity to incite discord in almost every direction,” he said.
Owens doesn’t shy away from presenting her brand as provocative. A description on a ticketing site for the event reads, “Known for her controversial takes and unwavering stance, Candace is set to light up stages across Australia and New Zealand with her bold and unfiltered perspectives.”
Owens, a former pundit for the conservative news outlet Daily Wire, gained international notoriety for floating conspiracy theories to her millions of listeners, particularly about Jewish and Black people. She has suggested Israel caused 9/11, minimizes the tragedy of the Holocaust, and described stories about Nazi experiments on twins in World War II concentration camps as “completely absurd” and “bizarre propaganda.”
The Black Lives Matter movement is another frequent target.
On her YouTube channel and through hundreds of appearances on Fox News, Owens consistently downplays the impact of slavery and racism and once tweeted that Juneteenth was “ghetto.”
In 2022, she famously posed with Kanye West in a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt at New York Fashion Week. That same year, she released her George Floyd documentary, “The Greatest Lie Ever Told,” proposing Floyd died of a drug overdose instead of at the hands of police.
Muslims, transgender people, and the feminist movement have all been in her crosshairs.
After the news broke, the 35-year-old firebrand took to X, reposting a tweet from House Republican Tom Massie containing two quotes about censorship.
“There was no time in history where the people who were censoring free speech were the good guys,” the post read, quoting fellow conspiracy fan Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a quote from former GOP congressman Ron Paul followed: “Truth is treason in the empire of lies.”
“There was no time in history where the people who were censoring free speech were the good guys.”@RobertKennedyJr
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) October 28, 2024
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.”@RonPaul
Public reaction is mixed, with many of her supporters concerned that Australia stepped over the line by denying her entry.
“Regardless of what you think about what she says restrictions on freedom of speech are never a good thing,” wrote one, echoing hundreds of comments. “Australia doesn’t have free speech. What a hellhole. Whether you agree with her or not,” said another.
But there was a flood of support for Australia’s bold move, with many pointing out the country’s right to deny her entry and others poking fun.
“She is free to speak. She is not entitled to a platform or a visa. Countries can decide who can enter,” wrote one. “We don’t want her either,” wrote another among plenty laughing emojis and memes.
— Lady Baela (@theladybaela) October 27, 2024
People came out in droves to fact-check the MAGA crowd, with several X users citing Australia’s constitution. “It’s freedom of expression in Australia, not speech. Also, the right is not absolute; it’s a limited right that carries special responsibilities,” said one.
“They see how far we’ve fallen due to disinformation being called free speech,” quipped another.
Others pointed out the hypocrisy of the far right: “It seems pretty hypocritical of the ‘deport millions’ movement to question the judgment of another sovereign country’s Minister of Immigration when they deny entry to a MAGA mouthpiece.”
One powerful voice claiming “victory” is the Anti-Defamation League, a pro-Jewish group that worked behind the scenes on the Australian ban.
“It’s a victory for truth, for decency, and for the millions of Jewish souls and millions of others whose memory she so shamelessly desecrated,” said the group’s chairman, Dvir Abramovich, in a statement via Newsweek. He added, “The decision by the government to bar Owens sends a resounding message: Australia has no place for those who mock the suffering of genocide survivors and insult the memories of the 6 million Jews who perished. This is a line in the sand.”
Owens’ speaking tour, which was set to begin on Nov. 17, may face another setback. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is also assessing her visa, reported The New Zealand Herald, though a decision had not been made at the time of this writing.
As one X user put it, “Imagine being rejected by an entire continent.” Now she might be rejected by two nations.
