Kanye may lose entry to Australia over anti-semitic remarks: minister
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Canberra: American rapper Kanye West, who now goes by the name Ye, may not get a visa to Australia due to his anti-semitic remarks. A minister of the island nation on Wednesday said the government is likely to deny the singer entry.
"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," said Minister for Education Jason Clare to Nine News. Australia has refused or revoked visas for far-right figures like David Icke for failing the good character test.
The statement comes at a time when Australian media reported that Ye is planning to go to Melbourne to meet his partner Bianca Censori's family. His spokesperson did not respond to the statement.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton, immigration minister under a previous government, also said he also would be inclined to ban Ye but now it is the decision of the current government. "His anti-Semitic comments are disgraceful, his conduct and his behaviour are appalling. He's not a person of good character and the minister has the ability to stop somebody coming into our country of bad character," he told 3AW Radio.
The singer has made several remarks praising Hitler and expressing love for Nazis. He has lost several brand deals over the same.