Calls for Kanye West to be barred from visiting Australia over anti-Semitism

A visit to meet the in-laws looks less likely for Kanye West as a government minister casts doubt on rapper’s visa approval.

A federal government minister has cast doubt on Kanye West’s ability to get a visa to enter Australia after making anti-Semitic comments.

Education Minister Jason Clare said describing West’s remarks as “awful” was an understatement.

“Google it and you’ll see that he seems like he’s a pretty big fan of a person who killed six million Jewish people last century,” Mr Clare said on Today.

“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 that they did.”

An imminent visit to Australia by West has sparked calls for the controversial rapper to be barred from entering the country.

West is believed to be heading to Melbourne next week to meet the family of his new wife, Bianca Censori.

It is understood West is yet to apply for a visa.

Kanye West. Picture: AFP

Kanye’s new bride Bianca Censori.

The Herald Sun on Monday revealed Anti Defamation Commission Chair Dr Dvir Abramovich would write to Immigration Minister Andrew Giles and ask him to deny West entry based on character grounds.

Dr Abramovich said Ye was a Nazi and Hitler worshipper and over the past year had made threatening comments against the Jewish community.

Meanwhile opposition leader Peter Dutton on Tuesday revealed he would not be inclined to let Kanye West into Australia.

Mr Dutton said Immigration Minister Andrew Giles had a “lot to weigh up” when considering letting the controversial artist into the country.

“My inclination would be not to allow him in,” he said.

“His anti-Semitic comments are disgraceful, his conduct and his behaviour is appalling, and he’s not a person of good character.

“The Minister has the ability to stop somebody coming into our country of bad character.

“If I was that decision-maker, I think there are better people we could welcome in.”

Ben Watt, a migration lawyer at VisaEnvoy, said West could come to Australia on a visitor visa because he was coming to Australia to meet the in-laws.

Mr Watt said those visas were often auto-granted but it could be cancelled on character grounds prior to entry or at the border.

But he said West would argue that his presence in the community would not be disruptive because he was coming in a private capacity.

“It would be very, very cruel to his partner to refuse him entry based on comments that he’s made in the past,” Mr Watt said.

“He’s not going to profit from his time in Australia and he’s not going to be facing the community.

“We need to have a little bit of compassion for the poor guy, even though what he said is despicable.”

Ye wore a ‘White Lives Matter’ Shirt at his Yeezy Runway Show.

Although he may get a visitor visa, West would likely face hurdles if he wanted to get a partner visa to spend longer in Australia due to the same character test.

Mr Watt said his talent as an internationally renowned artist with an estimated $1bn net worth would work in his favour.

But his anti-Semitic comments would not help his case.

Mr Watt said whatever decision the federal government made, it would set a precedent.

A government spokesperson said: “The Minister cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy reasons”.

University of Sydney law school Prof Mary Crock said most controversial visitors were coming to Australia to do something publicly, such as lectures or concerts.

Prof Crock said Immigration Minister Andrew Giles had the power to deny him entry, as demonstrated during the Djokovic saga, but he was coming out to meet family.

“He is controversial and he is high-profile but you have to show that he is likely to incite discord in the community,” she said.

“I would be somewhat surprised if he was denied a visa because of the private nature of the visit.

“I don’t think there would be any issue around him.”

Since October last year Ye went on a spree of public appearances and interviews in which he made anti-Semitic comments, spouted conspiracy theories, criticised Black Lives Matter, ended business relationships and was blocked on social media platforms.

The disgraced rapper has seemingly become more unpredictable by the day, having previously been banned from the social media app for tweeting he would go “death con 5 on Jewish people”.

After being un-banned by new Twitter owner Elon Musk, West posted a picture of a swastika, which was the post that got him suspended again.

Amid the controversy and growing pressure, sportswear giant Adidas announced it was ending its longtime partnership with the rapper.

On Tuesday, Adidas said it was ending its partnership with Kanye West after a series of anti-Semitic outbursts by the controversial rapper.

Recent comments by West were “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous”, Adidas said in a statement.

Adidas said it would “end production” of the highly successful “Yeezy” line designed together with West and “stop all payments to Ye and his companies”.