jesse
2024-12-07 20:27:46 UTC
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) The U.S. conservative political commentor
Candace Owens was refused a visa to enter New Zealand for a speaking
engagement because she had been banned from another country, immigration
officials said Thursday.
News of the ruling came weeks after neighboring Australia also rejected
her visa request, citing remarks in which she denied Nazi medical
experimentation on Jews in concentration camps during World War II.
Owens is scheduled to speak at a series of events in several Australian
cities and in Auckland, New Zealand, in February and March next year.
Tickets remain on sale and there is no acknowledgement on the promoters
website that she has been refused entry to both countries.
The commentator, who has more than 3 million followers on YouTube, is
accused by her detractors of promoting conspiracy theories and
antisemitism and has ignited firestorms with her remarks opposing Black
Lives Matter, feminism, vaccines and immigration.
In March, Owens said she had parted ways with the Daily Wire, on which she
had hosted an online talk show since 2021, after clashes with its founders
over her remarks about Jews and her opposition to U.S. military support
for Israel. She was widely criticized for comments in a YouTube video in
July that minimized the Holocaust.
Owens had promised Australian and New Zealand audiences a discussion of
free speech and her Christian faith when she announced the speaking tour
in August.
But Australian officials banned her from the country in October, with
Immigration Minister Tony Burke telling reporters Owens has the capacity
to incite discord in almost every direction, citing her remarks about the
Holocaust and about Muslims.
Australias national interest is best served when Candace Owens is
somewhere else, Burke said. Australian Jewish groups had urged officials
to bar her from the country.
New Zealand officials did not refer to Owens political views in a
statement on Thursday.
She was refused an entertainers work permit for New Zealand on the ground
that visas legally cannot be granted to those who have been excluded from
another country, said Jock Gilray, a spokesperson for the immigration
agency.
Owens and the Australia-based promoter, Rocksman, did not immediately
respond to requests for comment.
https://apnews.com/article/candace-owens-zealand-australia-visa-
eedd9b2f77a289b44a517719008f9730
Candace Owens was refused a visa to enter New Zealand for a speaking
engagement because she had been banned from another country, immigration
officials said Thursday.
News of the ruling came weeks after neighboring Australia also rejected
her visa request, citing remarks in which she denied Nazi medical
experimentation on Jews in concentration camps during World War II.
Owens is scheduled to speak at a series of events in several Australian
cities and in Auckland, New Zealand, in February and March next year.
Tickets remain on sale and there is no acknowledgement on the promoters
website that she has been refused entry to both countries.
The commentator, who has more than 3 million followers on YouTube, is
accused by her detractors of promoting conspiracy theories and
antisemitism and has ignited firestorms with her remarks opposing Black
Lives Matter, feminism, vaccines and immigration.
In March, Owens said she had parted ways with the Daily Wire, on which she
had hosted an online talk show since 2021, after clashes with its founders
over her remarks about Jews and her opposition to U.S. military support
for Israel. She was widely criticized for comments in a YouTube video in
July that minimized the Holocaust.
Owens had promised Australian and New Zealand audiences a discussion of
free speech and her Christian faith when she announced the speaking tour
in August.
But Australian officials banned her from the country in October, with
Immigration Minister Tony Burke telling reporters Owens has the capacity
to incite discord in almost every direction, citing her remarks about the
Holocaust and about Muslims.
Australias national interest is best served when Candace Owens is
somewhere else, Burke said. Australian Jewish groups had urged officials
to bar her from the country.
New Zealand officials did not refer to Owens political views in a
statement on Thursday.
She was refused an entertainers work permit for New Zealand on the ground
that visas legally cannot be granted to those who have been excluded from
another country, said Jock Gilray, a spokesperson for the immigration
agency.
Owens and the Australia-based promoter, Rocksman, did not immediately
respond to requests for comment.
https://apnews.com/article/candace-owens-zealand-australia-visa-
eedd9b2f77a289b44a517719008f9730