American rapper Kanye West has been blocked from entering Australia over a song glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Australia's home affairs minister Tony Burke revealed that his department had cancelled West's valid visa after the song Heil Hitler was released in early May. West's song has been widely condemned and has been banned on most platforms. The highly controversial rapper, also known as Ye, identifies as a Nazi and is known for his anti-Semitic comments. He is married to Australian designer Bianca Censori. Mr Burke revealed the visa cancellation in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, during a discussion about the visa cancellation of another person over their Islamophobic comments. "If someone argued that anti-Semitism was rational, I would not let them come here," Mr Burke said, while bringing up West's case. "[West] has been coming to Australia for a long time… and he's made a lot of offensive comments. "But my officials looked at it again once he released the Heil Hitler song, and he no longer has a valid visa in Australia." It is not clear if West has been permanently banned from Australia. Mr Burke said that visa applications would be reassessed each time they are made, in accordance with Australian law. But when asked if any visa ban on West would be sustainable, Mr Burke said: "I think that what's not sustainable is to import hatred... We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry." It is not the first time Australia considered blocking West. In 2023, Australia's education minister Jason Clare had also condemned West's "awful" comments on Hitler and the Holocaust, and suggested he could be denied entry. Amid the current backlash, Heil Hitler raked up millions of views within a day of its release in May. The song is part of the Grammy-winning artist's new album WW3, which also contains other tracks with controversial lyrics. The music video for Heil Hitler, released on 8 May, shows a group of men wearing animal skins and chanting the song's title. It has been banned on streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. But shortly after its release, West said he was "done with anti-Semitism" and released a new version of Heil Hitler - titled Hallelujah. The new song replaced earlier references to Nazism with lyrics relating to Christianity. West has in recent years sparked controversy for his anti-Semitic remarks. Earlier this year, he declared himself a Nazi and retracted an apology for earlier comments. In 2022, sportswear giant Adidas announced it was ending its partnership with West over his anti-Semitism. Late last year, the company said it hadreached a settlement with himto end all legal proceedings between them.
Kanye West blocked from entering Australia over Hitler song
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"Kanye West's Visa Canceled by Australia Following Controversial Song Release"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
American rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, has been denied entry into Australia due to the release of a controversial song titled 'Heil Hitler,' which glorifies the infamous Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Australia's Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, announced that West's visa was canceled following the public backlash against the song, which was released in early May. The song has faced widespread condemnation and has been banned on major streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube due to its offensive content. Minister Burke emphasized that the decision to revoke West's visa was influenced by the song's release and his history of making anti-Semitic remarks, stating that importing hatred into Australia is unsustainable. He noted that previous comments made by West had already raised concerns, and the latest release prompted a reevaluation of his visa status.
The implications of West's visa cancellation reflect Australia's stance on hate speech and bigotry, with Burke asserting that any individual promoting anti-Semitism would not be welcome in the country. While it remains unclear whether West will face a permanent ban from Australia, Burke indicated that visa applications would be reassessed in line with Australian law. Earlier this year, Australia's Education Minister, Jason Clare, had also condemned West's comments regarding Hitler and the Holocaust, suggesting that he could be denied entry. Following the backlash from 'Heil Hitler,' West attempted to distance himself from the controversy by releasing a reworked version of the song titled 'Hallelujah,' which replaces references to Nazism with themes of Christianity. Despite these efforts, West's history of inflammatory remarks has led to significant repercussions, including the termination of his partnership with Adidas over his anti-Semitic comments in 2022.
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