Conservative political commentator Candace Owens was denied a visa to enter New Zealand for a speaking engagement because she had previously been banned from another nation, according to immigration authorities.
This decision came shortly after Australia also refused her visa application, citing her controversial comments where she denied that Nazi medical experiments were conducted on Jews in concentration camps during World War II.
Owens is scheduled to address audiences in multiple Australian cities and in Auckland, New Zealand, in February and March of the coming year. Despite the visa rejections, tickets are still being sold for these events, and the promoter’s website has not made any mention of her being barred from entry into either country.
With over 3 million followers on YouTube, Owens has faced criticism for promoting conspiracy theories and antisemitic views. She has sparked significant backlash with her positions on topics such as Black Lives Matter, feminism, vaccinations, and immigration.
In March, Owens announced that she had parted ways with The Daily Wire, where she had hosted an online talk show since 2021, after disagreements with the platform’s founders over her comments about Jews and her stance against U.S. military support for Israel. She faced widespread condemnation for a YouTube video in July where she downplayed the Holocaust.
Owens had promised to discuss topics such as free speech and her Christian faith when she unveiled her speaking tour in August, which was to include stops in both Australia and New Zealand.
However, in October, Australian authorities blocked her entry, with Immigration Minister Tony Burke explaining to the press that Owens “has the capacity to incite discord in almost every direction,” pointing to her controversial statements about the Holocaust and Muslims.
“Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else,” Burke declared. Jewish groups in Australia had pushed for her exclusion from the country.
{Matzav.com}