Candace Owens lashes out at Australia after being banned by Anthony Albanese’s government

Far-right political commentator Candace Owens described the decision to ban her from entering Australia as a ‘petty act of vandalism’.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke canceled the outspoken conservative’s visa this weekend, preventing him from holding five planned live speaking events next month.

Owens, who rose to fame during Trump’s presidency, drew ire for his controversial comments about Israel, the Holocaust and LGBTQI issues.

In his decision to refuse his visa, Mr Burke cited Owens’ ‘capacity to incite discord in almost any direction’.

‘Australia’s national interests are best served when Candace Owens is elsewhere,’ Mr Burke added.

But Owens, 35, responded by describing the move as a ‘petty act of vandalism’.

“What you see really taking shape is that people don’t want me to get in front of an audience,” Owens said on his podcast.

‘We all know what happened in Australia, which is the story of this year: I am not comfortable with the death in Palestine.’

‘Because I did not tolerate this, the definitive punishment given to me was harassment.

‘I accepted that. This is a much easier punishment than what these kids accept on a daily basis.’

Owens became a prominent figure on the American right as one of the few African-American commentators to challenge the Black Lives Matter movement, earning a lucrative deal with the conservative platform Daily Wire.

He has 5.8 million followers on Twitter and 5 million followers on Instagram.

However, he was dismissed earlier this year by Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro for criticizing Israel’s actions in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and America’s support for these actions.

Since his dismissal, he has been accused of various anti-Semitic views and attitudes; This led to various Jewish groups opposing his visit to Australia and successfully lobbying the Albanian government to prevent him from entering the country.

The government had bipartisan support, with Liberal shadow immigration spokesman Dan Tehan also backing the ban.

The Candace Owens Live tour was set to kick off in Melbourne on November 17, with tickets selling from $95 for reserved seating to $1,500 for a pre-show VIP dinner with Owens.

The tour organizers state on the tour website: ‘Join us for an exciting evening with outspoken and fearless American conservative social commentator, author, activist and YouTube sensation Candace Owens.

‘Known for her controversial approaches and unwavering stance, Candace is set to light up stages in Australia and New Zealand with her bold and unfiltered perspectives.’

Mr Burke had been expressing concern for weeks about its arrival on Australian shores.

‘Tickets for these events are sold for $100. I hope they have a good refund policy,’ Mr. Burke said in August.

‘There has been no visa application, but if there is a briefing, he will come to me personally.

‘My stance against antisemitism and Islamophobia has always been on record.

‘I have the clear legal authority to revoke the visas of anyone who would incite discord.’

Owens’ tour promoter called the decision ‘stupid’ and described it as ‘censorship’.

“Minister Burke’s reasoning is that he does not want Australians to be exposed to Ms Owens’ message,” a spokesman added.

‘But whether in the country or not, Australians can access his message via social media alongside millions of viewers every day.

‘This is clearly nothing more than political bias disguised as a public safety measure.’

Owens previously told Daily Mail Australia he was ‘completely shocked’ by Mr Burke’s stance and that it highlighted the huge gulf between Australia and the US.

“There is no way any politician in America would be proud to use their power to revoke the visa of a person who is not a criminal,” he said.

He said it would ‘be a stain on Australia and not one that you can easily erase’.

‘I should be able to travel to a country because I’m not a criminal.

‘I never harmed anyone. I have never incited anyone to violence. ‘I have never been accused of even the minor charge of inciting violence.’

While organizations have tried to have their events canceled in the past, Owens said he hasn’t seen “the government embracing that.”

‘I don’t mind being invited to university and high school campuses to speak in front of children, but I pose too much of a threat to Australian politics, don’t I?’ he said.

The issue is not the first Australian has faced trouble after criticizing the government’s lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a 2021 episode of his late-night show, Owens called 3-mile travel limits, bans on indoor gatherings, and nightly curfews “imprisoning citizens against their will.”

He said it was ‘the first time Australian politics became the most relevant’ in his political career.

‘And I think the Americans and I were also quite shocked at how harshly the Australian Government treated its people,’ he said.

He was similarly taken aback by the visa issue due to the starkly different approach to freedom of expression and debate between Australia and the US.

‘We care deeply about freedom of expression in America; “We care deeply about freedom in general… and this completely shocked me,” he said.

The commentator also touched on important issues 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 Hamas supporters being welcomed into the country.

‘Why do we have to accept refugees?’ he asked, adding that countries should not be made to “feel bad” about rejecting immigrants.

‘For some reason the West has become a dumping ground,’ he said.

‘We have an identity and it’s good to have an identity, and it’s very wrong to routinely try to make people feel bad about wanting to know their own country.’

He also described green energy as ‘a driving force to further enslave humanity’ and claimed that those pushing for the transition were not committed to the same goals.

“They can see that our lives are getting harder and harder as they tell us that we should desire things that they don’t,” Ms. Owens said.

‘I believe people know how to make a living off the land, how to grow their own food. I believe your only protection against a totalitarian state is to be able to look after yourself and be resourceful towards your neighbours.’

Owens said he wanted to meet him and discuss their differences.

‘I’d love to meet anyone who wants to talk to me and thinks I’ve said something wrong,’ he said.

‘When people actually meet me and hear the truth, that’s how they will perceive it.’