This article was originally published by QNews. You can find the original article here.
Australia has officially rejected far-right, anti-trans influencer Candace Owens’ visa application ahead of a trip here for a national speaking tour, with Immigration Minister Tony Burke savagely saying Australia would prefer she stay “somewhere else”.
Candace, who has millions of online followers, put tickets on sale for the November tour. She planned speaking events in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. Tickets ranged from $95 to $1,500 promising “provocative” and “candid conversations” about “controversial issues”.
But back in August, LGBTQIA+ groups, Jewish groups and many politicians strongly opposed Candace touring because of her extreme views.
At the time, Immigration Minister Tony Burke said he “hopes she has a good refunds policy”.
In August, Candace Owens hit back in a wild interview with 2GB host Ben Fordham. She assured him her tour would go ahead and she downplayed her transphobic and anti-Semitic comments as “just speech and conversation”.
But on Sunday (October 27), Tony Burke confirmed Australia has denied her a visa.
“From downplaying the impact of the Holocaust with comments about [Nazi doctor 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.”
Candace Owens’ anti-trans commentary
The conservative influencer and commentator also has a history of transphobic statements.
She previously claimed the trans rights movement “is actually Satanic” and “one of the most dangerous” and “evil” things.
Candace has falsely claimed trans people are “clinically insane”. She falsely claimed trans people are responsible for a rise in mass shootings. In January, Candace declared the “entire LGBTQ movement brought with it a sexual plague on our society.”
Candace Owens was ridiculed in 2020 for tweeting “bring back manly men” after singer Harry Styles wore a dress on the cover of Vogue.
That same year, she went viral for suggesting the US military “deploy” and invade Australia to free us from “suffering under a totalitarian regime” during Covid.
In 2023, Candace Owens was demonetised by YouTube for her anti-trans videos in violation of the platform’s policies against “hateful and derogatory content,” according to Google.
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