Far-right political commentator Candace Owens has revealed her shock at the stark difference between Australia and the United States after learning she could be denied entry here.
Owens is planning shows in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide in November.
Having risen to prominence during the Trump presidency, Owens has sparked outrage for his controversial comments on Israel, the Holocaust and LGBTQI issues.
Her Australian tour is in jeopardy after Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said he would “personally” oversee her visa application.
Mr Burke said he has “clear legal powers to revoke a visa for anyone who incites discord”.
Owens told Daily Mail Australia she was “completely shocked” by Burke’s stance and said it highlighted a huge gap between Australia and the United States.
“It simply could not happen in the United States that any politician would be proud to come out and talk about using his powers to cancel a visa for a person who is not a criminal,” he said.
If Mr Burke decides to go ahead and deny Owens a visa, he said it would be “a stain on Australia, and not one that can be easily erased”.
Controversial far-right American political commentator Candace Owens (pictured) has revealed she was “completely shocked” by Tony Burke’s comments.
Home Office minister Tony Burke (pictured) said he would “personally” review Ms Owens’ visa application because of her history of controversial views.
Owens has previously attacked minority groups, claiming there is a link between trans people, “clinical insanity” and the rise in mass shootings.
He also claimed Israel was founded by a “cult” and called some of the atrocities of the Holocaust “completely absurd.”
These atrocities included horrifying and well-documented experiments carried out by the Nazi “Angel of Death,” Josef Mengele, on twins imprisoned at Auschwitz.
On an episode of Candace Owens Live that aired in July, the commentator said the experiments sounded like bizarre propaganda because they would be a “tremendous waste of time and supplies.”
Mengele’s oldest survivor, 100-year-old Annetta Able, joined independent MP Zali Steggall in calling for Owens to be banned from entering the country.
“As a survivor of Dr Mengele’s inhumane experiments at Auschwitz, I feel compelled to speak out against Candace Owens’ planned visit to Australia,” Ms Able said.
‘Your recent statement dismissing the horrific experiments I underwent as “alien propaganda” is not only deeply offensive, it is a dangerous distortion of the historical truth that I witnessed with my own eyes.
‘I urge the Australian government to deny Candace Owens a visa.’
Owens said her views should not dilute her chances of obtaining a visa to enter the country and, if her visa is accepted, she invited Ms. Able to speak to her.
“To prevent a Catholic mother of three from coming to this country is quite shocking,” she said.
‘I should be able to travel to a country because I’m not a criminal.
“I have never harmed anyone. I have never ordered anyone to commit acts of violence. I have never been accused, even slightly, of inciting violence.”
While organizations have tried to cancel their events in the past, Owens said he hasn’t seen “the government go along with that.”
“I’m fine with being invited to universities and high schools to speak to children, but am I too big a threat in terms of Australian politics?” he said.
If Mr. Burke were to allow Owens into the country, the commentator “wouldn’t even think it would be a victory.”
“I think this should be a normal situation. I’m not a criminal, I’m a mother who brings her family here,” she said.
Having risen to prominence during the Trump presidency, Owens has sparked outrage for his controversial comments on Israel, the Holocaust and LGBTQI issues.
While she disagrees with Mr Burke’s “extremely hurtful” comments, Owens said she would be interested in meeting with him and discussing their differences.
“I would love to meet anyone who wants to talk to me and thinks I’ve said something wrong,” he said.
“When people really get to know me and hear the truth, they will register it as such.”
This is not the first clash with Australia after she criticised government lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.
During a 2021 episode of his late-night show, Owens criticized 5km travel limits, bans on household gatherings and nightly curfews as “imprisoning citizens against their will.”
Throughout his political career, he said it was the “first time Australian politics became more relevant”.
“And I think the Americans and I were quite shocked by how harshly the Australian government treated its people,” she said.
The visa issue also surprised her because of the markedly different approach to freedom of expression and debate between Australia and the United States.
“In America we care deeply about freedom of speech; we care deeply about freedom in general… and this completely surprised me,” he said.
The commentator also touched on hot topics in Australia, including immigration and the transition to renewable energy.
Owens backed calls by Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton to block immigration from Gaza for fear of welcoming Hamas supporters into the country.
“Why do we have to accept refugees?” he asked, adding that countries should not “feel bad” about rejecting migrants.
“For some reason, the West has become a dumping ground,” he said.
“We have an identity, and it is good to have an identity, and it is a mistake to systematically try to make people feel bad for wanting to recognize their own countries.”
He also described green energy as a “drive to further enslave humanity,” claiming that those pushing the transition are not committing to the same goals.
“They can see how our lives are becoming more and more difficult because we are told to aspire to things that they don’t aspire to,” Owens said.
“I think people should know how to live off the land, how to grow their own food. I think the only protection against a totalitarian state is knowing how to take care of yourself and being resourceful with your neighbors.”
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