Conservative US commentator Candace Owens has given a ten-word slam to calls for a ban on visiting Australia.
His planned tour of Australia and New Zealand in November is now in jeopardy after politicians and organisations called for his visa application to be rejected.
A ticket to her shows in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide costs $95, but a VIP dinner with Ms Owens can cost up to $1,500.
Having risen to prominence during the Trump presidency, Ms Owens has sparked outrage for her controversial comments on Israel, the Holocaust and LGBTQI issues.
Home Secretary Tony Burke, who has the power to block or refuse a visa, said he would monitor Ms Owens’ application once it was lodged.
“My opposition to anti-Semitism and Islamophobia has always been clear,” he said on Friday.
Ms Owens has repeatedly criticised the potential ban and doubled down on her attacks when speaking to 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Monday.
“It’s incredible to think that people can be so afraid of just speech and conversation, and really the only way we can be free as a society is if we’re free to hear ideas and free to change our minds,” she said.
Far-right US political analyst Candace Owens (pictured) has responded to Australian politicians and organisations calling for her to be denied a visa to enter the country.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke (pictured) said on Friday he would personally oversee Ms Owens’ application for a planned tour of her live podcast.
“I was very surprised to see them say: ‘Don’t give him a visa, he’s a bad person.'”
Ms. Owens then gave a 10-word “reality check”: “It won’t hurt them to hear different ideas.”
Ms Owens has previously claimed Israel was founded by a “cult” and called some of the Holocaust atrocities “completely absurd”.
He has also attacked minority groups and claimed there is a link between trans people, “clinical insanity” and the rise in mass shootings.
The far-right commentator responded on Sunday by accusing the media of portraying her negatively for what she argued were reasonable political views.
“It was considered ‘extreme’ that, as a Black woman, I did not submit to the Black Lives Matter narrative,” Owens said in a statement.
“Instead, I denounced the movement for using racist slurs as a weapon to deflect criticism and praise criminality. For my contribution, I was labeled a “black and white supremacist.”
Ms Owens rose to prominence during the Trump presidency and has sparked outrage for her controversial comments on Israel, the Holocaust and LGBT issues.
‘Similarly, when I took the “extreme” position that forced lockdowns and vaccination are contrary to individual freedom and happiness, I was branded as “dangerously misinformed” and accused of promoting death.’
He added that the controversy has been exacerbated by clips from his show that were taken out of context.
“Anyone who listens to my show outside of the media knows full well that I love Jews,” Owens said.
‘They have always been an important part of my life and I will continue to use my platform to call out individuals and groups who are using Jewish pain and history to cover up their own bad behavior.
His statement came after he criticised the proposed ban on Saturday, calling it “crazy”.
Independent MP for Wentworth Allegra Spender is among Owen’s critics who have called for the American commentator to be banned from entering the country.
“Ms Owens is a media provocateur who makes a living by generating controversy, division and hatred. Her denial of the truth of the Holocaust is obscene,” he said.
“We do not need her input into the public debate in Australia at a time when we must preserve social cohesion. I welcome the Minister’s request that her visa application be reviewed.”
Coalition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan added: “There is no place in Australia for people who spread hate and undermine social cohesion.”
Executive Council of Australian Judaism co-chief executive Peter Wertheim said Ms Owen’s views meant she had failed the character test under the Migration Act.
“At a time of unprecedented strains on the cohesion of Australian society, largely the result of ignorant and malicious comments on social media, the last thing we need to import into our country is another so-called celebrity who has made racist and bigoted comments about Jews and other vulnerable groups,” he said.
“Our new Immigration Minister now has the opportunity to demonstrate the leadership needed to affirm that principle,” he said.
