Extremist influencer Candace Owens’ Australian visa cancelled by immigration minister

Extremist US provocateur Candace Owens’ Australian visa has been cancelled, as the Labor government warns that her attacks on Jewish, Muslim and trans people have the capacity to incite discord.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke confirmed that the Donald Trump-aligned influencer – who has claimed that Israel was founded by a “cult” and that “secret Jewish gangs” operate in Hollywood – would not be allowed in Australia as federal Labor attempts to lower the temperature on domestic protests about the war in the Middle East.

Candace Owens has made claims about a range of minority groups, including trans people.Credit: The Washington Post

“From downplaying the impact of the Holocaust with comments about [German SS officer Josef] Mengele through to claims that Muslims started slavery, Candace Owens has the capacity to incite discord in almost every direction,” he said.

“Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else.”

Owens rose to fame for her conservative activism. She was a communications director for Turning Point USA from 2017 to 2019 and in 2021 joined conservative media company The Daily Wire to host her own political talk show. However, in March this year she was dismissed following a series of antisemitic comments.

She now hosts her own YouTube channel and has 18 million online followers. Owens’ comments have included describing Mengele’s experiments on Auschwitz prisoners as “bizarre propaganda”.

Jewish groups called for Owens’ visa to be cancelled in August as Burke indicated he would block it, telling this masthead: “Tickets to these events are selling for $100. I hope she has a good refunds policy.”

Coalition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan also said in August that Labor should block Owens’ visa to avoid the spread of “hateful messages”.

Owens vowed to push on with her Australian tour in defiance of the calls to reject her visa.

Speaking on Sydney radio station 2GB in August, the far-right influencer – who thinks Trump has become too moderate – said she was excited about travelling to Australia for her November tour.

“It’s kind of incredible to think people could be so fearful of just speech and conversation,” she told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

“I was quite surprised to see that: they were like ‘Don’t give her a visa, she’s a bad person’. But I promise you it is not going to harm you to hear different ideas.”

The event website describes Owens’ tour as a delivery of “raw and unfiltered commentary on politics, culture and everyday life” as ticket costs range from $95 to $1500.

Shows are scheduled in November in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.

Entertainment company Rocksman is listed as the host for Owens’ tour, which describes itself as an organisation that specialises in “helping businesses and individuals develop strong personal and corporate brands”.

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