Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced that Kanye West—who now goes by Ye—will not be allowed into the country. Burke said, “If someone argued that anti Semitism was rational, I would not let them come here.” He explained that Australia revoked West’s existing visa after the release of his song “Heil Hitler” in early May.
According to Burke, “[West] has been coming to Australia for a long time… and he’s made a lot of offensive comments. But my officials looked at it again once he released the Heil Hitler song, and he no longer has a valid visa in Australia.”
Bigotry Over Beats: Entry Refused To Kanye
West’s association with Nazism and past anti-Semitic remarks played a key role in this decision. Tony Burke stressed, “I think that what’s not sustainable is to import hatred… We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry.”
Australia had previously considered barring West. In 2023, Education Minister Jason Clare criticized West’s “awful” Holocaust and Hitler remarks and even hinted at visa denial. However, withdrawal of his visa became official only after the Nazi-themed track was released.
Shortly after being banned, West attempted damage control by releasing a revised version of the track titled “Hallelujah”, which replaced Nazi references with Christian themes and accompanied his statement that he was “done with anti Semitism.”
Despite this pivot, the original “Heil Hitler” single drew millions of views in one day and has been banned on major platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. It was featured on Ye’s album WW3, which sparked backlash due to its aggressive messaging.
What It Means Going Forward
Australia didn’t clarify if this is a permanent ban, citing that each new visa application will be assessed. But with Burke’s comments, it’s clear that any return would require a major shift in West’s public stance.
The Grammy-winner’s self-declared Nazism, apology withdrawal, and ongoing anti-Semitic rants have already led to major fallout. This includes Adidas ending all ties in 2022.