Right-wing influencer Candace Owens has followed Kanye West in being refused entry to Australia after a court upheld a decision that her record failed a “character test” under local laws. In October 2024, Owens was rejected for a visa to conduct a speaking tour. She appealed to the country’s High Court, where judges Stephen Gageler, Michelle Gordon, and Robert Beech-Jones rejected her application. They said the implied freedom of political communication “is not a ‘personal right,’ is not unlimited and is not absolute,” reported Reuters. Justice James Edelman added in a separate ruling, “Ms Owens Farmer’s submissions should be emphatically rejected.” Owens was also ordered to pay the government’s legal costs. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who had first rejected Owens’ application in October 2024, said the outcome was a “win for social cohesion,” citing concerns her comments toward Muslim, Black, Jewish, and LGBTQIA+ communities could “stir up” strife. Burke said her views were “extremist and inflammatory.” The court also noted her statements on Black Lives Matter, women, and COVID-19 vaccines. In July, Australia canceled U.S. rapper West’s visa, citing concerns that his May song “Heil Hitler” promoted Nazi ideology.
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