Australia voids Kanye West visa over Hitler song

Australia has canceled a visa for rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, after he released “Heil Hitler,” a song promoting Nazism, the country’s home affairs minister says.

The song, released in May, came a few months after West made a string of antisemitic posts on X, which included comments such as “I love Hitler” and “I’m a Nazi.”

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says that while previous offensive comments made by West had not affected his visa status, officials “looked at it again” after the song’s release.

“It was a lower level (visa) and the officials still looked at the law and said you’re going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism, we don’t need that in Australia,” he tells national broadcaster ABC.

“We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry,” he says.

Burke notes that West, married to Australian architect Bianca Censori, has family in Australia and was a longtime visitor prior to the visa cancellation.

Burke’s office declines to comment on the exact date of the visa cancellation. West’s management does not respond immediately to a request for comment outside US business hours.

Last month, Australia banned pro-Israel influencer Hillel Fuld from entering, and in October barred US conservative pundit Candace Owens.