Candace Owens Cancelled by Australia’s Immigration Minister
Tony Burke has proven the proverb: The only standards the current left-wing lineup has are double standards.
Labor’s immigration minister has pulled the plug on American conservative commentator Candace Owens’ November speaking tour of Australia, two months after opening a door for 3,000 unvetted pro-Hamas Gazans.
At the time, Burke slammed opposition criticism, labelling security concerns “racist”, saying, “All should feel welcome.”
During the reply to Teal’s Zali Steggall, Burke spun diversity is our strength as “better together”, then celebrated the “framework” of multiculturalism and its “emerging communities”.
At the conclusion of his brief speech, Burke asserted his support for Australia’s extreme 18C anti-discrimination amendment, stating,
“Words can be bullets.
“What might seem like a great way for some people to get a headline, none of us should underestimate the harm it does.
“Not just to those individuals (Gazans), but the fabric of the nation.”
The dissonance between Burke putting the boot into Owens’ right to free speech, and his rhetoric on the rights of Israel-hating Islamist “refugees”, screams preferential treatment.
Put simply:
Burke appears to be okay with importing Hamas’s “river to the sea”, “gas the Jews” jihad, genocidal rants, and not okay with a black woman who speaks her mind.
If Candace Owens’ words are “bullets”, Hamas’ October 7 Islamic attack on Israel was a picnic.
The same criticism could be applied to the CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Alon Cassuto – I say this as someone who condemns October 7, and defends Israel’s right to exist.
Cassuto’s short-sighted agreement with Burke’s cancellation of Candace is on the grounds he’s “stopping hate speech, not stopping free speech.”
Which really means: speech both Burke’s Muslim constituents and Cassuto’s Jewish subscribers don’t like.
Instead of banning Candace, Burke should probably be nominating her for the Nobel Peace Prize.
She appears to have done the impossible and united Israelis and Palestinians around a common cause: gagging a black mother of three because “racism!”
After all, “diversity is our strength, debate-is-hate, men can have a penis, abortion is healthcare”, and any criticism should be dismissed as “homophobia”, “Islamophobia”, and/or “antisemitism.”
Burke’s ban was tabled in early September, with even Sky News’ Andrew Bolt supporting the idea.
Dissonance
Owens replied by pointing out the double standard, saying that the immigration minister wasn’t cancelling the visas of violent rappers.
Here’s Candace Owens on Sept 4 responding to her – then potential – Australian Visa cancellation.
Tony Burke cancelling Candace was the equivalent of using napalm on a controlled back burn. pic.twitter.com/mEPicTHs6l
— Rod Lampard (@rod_lampard) October 28, 2024
Burke has defended cancelling Candace’s visa by arguing that she has “capacity to incite discord in almost every direction.”
Criticising the immigration minister’s decision, the Free Speech Union of Australia described the reasoning as ‘rubbish’, adding,
“There are many controversial views and speakers out there.
“The way to sort the good ideas from bad, the true from the false, is through open discussion and debate, not censorship.”
On X, other commentators honed in on the double standard,
Dear @Tony_Burke, which one of these photos scares the Jewish Community more? Be honest. You’ve stopped @RealCandaceO entering the country yet you’re importing the other ideology by the planeload. pic.twitter.com/e3RuZhGPYQ
— Daniel (@VoteLewko) October 26, 2024
Dr Stephen Chavura also spoke out, calling the decision “despicable”.
“Owens’ fans have not been on the streets chanting death to Israel and Jews.
“As for a threat to Muslims? — this effectively means that anyone who criticises Islam and Islamic immigration is no longer permitted into Australia,” he argued.
“How long will it be before such speech is criminalised?”
In a separate video, Dr Chavura added, “Who’s out there teaching Australian kids to hate Jews? It’s not Candace Owens’ fans.”
“We are becoming a leftist, technocratic tyranny with the weaponisation of ‘misinformation’.”
Responding to Burke’s ruling, the Libertarian Party’s Ross Cameron remarked,
“Can’t help feeling a kind of dissonance in the willingness to give citizenship to 3,000 Hamas supporting Gaza refugees — most of whom celebrated the murder of Israeli Jews — while rejecting a visitor visa for one peaceful American Christian.”
Self-Interest
Burke’s justifications for cancelling Owens, alongside his “multicultural” defence about importing Christian-hating Islamists hell-bent on destroying Israel, offer evidence of the Left’s fractured and failing political philosophy.
Labor’s agenda isn’t designed to serve a unified Australia — their agenda is designed to serve the interests of the Australian Labor Party.
The consequence of not realising that multiculturalism has failed, will be a splintered Australia, ruled by sectarian groups pushing their own nationality.
Australia as a nation cannot survive what multiculturalism allows.
Neither will Australia’s multiethnic, socially cohesive, and Christ-centred classical liberal national identity.
There is no unity in a house divided against itself.
Why did Burke rule against Candace?
Labor needs to keep Islam on its side, because Islam – a political ideology masquerading as the 2nd revelation of God – makes up a large part of Labor’s constituency.
I don’t agree with a lot of what Candace Owens has said recently.
This said, I 100% support the right for her to speak freely.
Burqa Burke’s decision was political expediency.
Cancelling Candace is about convenience, little else.
___
Republished with thanks to Caldron Pool. Image courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons.
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Can this story please be edited to tell us who Candace Owens is and what she stands for without the reader having to look it up elsewhere?
I could have written an essay on who she is, then completely ripped the flow out of the article. Most people would know of her – and a simple Google search would return a ton of information. So, I’ve kept references to her as brief as possible, while also avoiding the pejorative “far-right wing commentator.”
For those who don’t:
Candace was a major social media influencer from about 2016 onwards. She then started her own show on the Daily Wire. They split last year. She’s now back to her own platform. Since then she’s offended just about everybody by saying “Christ is King,” and for criticising Israel’s Gaza operations in response to October 7. Other complaints relate to her backing speculation about Jews running the world – which has its origins in Nazi propaganda. Hence, the concerns, but not enough that the gov should silence her.
She’s recently converted to Catholicism, is a mother of 3, and is married to a white man – someone her critics consider to be a controlling “white supremacist.” Ironic, given that those same people call Candace a conspiracy theorist.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for the feedback! Added some explanatory adjectives. May you have a blessed week!
Thanks, that has helped a little, but I still don’t know much. To say ‘most people would know of (someone)’ is not really helpful. Those, who most in their particular circle of friends/acquaintances are familiar with, may be totally unknown to others. I’m a Christian and have been getting emails etc from various Christian lobby groups for years, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard of Candace before.
If she is a ‘major social media influencer’, that might explain it. I’m on Facebook but deliberately avoid any other form of Social Media – I waste too much time on Facebook as it is, to find time for any more.
Having said all that, I agree that, whatever her views, the Government has no right to cancel her Visa and entry to the country. This has happened on both sides of politics – a few years ago, when Peter Dutton (Who is also my local MP) was immigration minister, the same thing happened with another incoming speaker, who’s name I can’t recall now). I disagreed with that decision then and for the first time in several campaigns, pulled out of helping with Peter’s subsequent campaign.
Maybe there was a genuine concern in both cases that the respective speakers would have triggered terror threats from extremists if they came, but I think that is not a good enough reason to cancel their visas.
Hey, hang on is Candace wearing a mask or is she really a black woman? I mean banning her from coming to Australia could be seen as rascist couldn’t it? Oh well, while we can and for those interested, you’ll just have to read /watch her on some form of media and make up your own mind what you think of her. Don’t believe Tony Burke.
Thanks for the terrific article Rod.
It certainly shows our newly appointed Immigration Minister Tony Burke (in place of previous Immigration Minister Andrew Giles) is totally biased against free speech and terribly afraid that Cancade Owens might have offended a Muslim, in her speech if she had been allowed in. That free and truthful speech and warning to Australia might in turn have caused a stumbling block for Labor who seek to gain the Muslim vote. It seems Labor is ardently protecting Muslim immigrants who are unvetted and are anxious to gain Favour with Terrorist nations like Gaza.
Sadly, Labor have not offered any protection for the Jewish students on campuses or in the university lecture rooms, or when 600 were doxed in Victoria , with names and addresses given out to Pro Palestinians who sought to persecuted the 600 and their families. A Green’s senator Nov 2023 even invaded a private meeting of Jewish people in Melbourne to grieve the deaths of Oct 7 and hostages taken,. the Greens senator wore a Hibbard and simply stared at them. Such outrageous behavior wasn’t even present in Germany WW2
As you said Senator Tony Burke has shown up the double (triple) standards of Labor and the inconsistent value system they stand on. Basically, its like sinking sand and always covering up their bias for the Left radical agenda, which includes anti Semitism and Anti Christian values, and also anti democracy
Your quote is so spot on concerning Labor forbidding Candace Owens from coming to speak here in Australia: “Put simply: Burke appears to be okay with importing Hamas’s “river to the sea”, “gas the Jews” jihad, genocidal rants, and not okay with a black woman who speaks her mind.”
Your quote sums it up
“The consequence of not realising that multiculturalism has failed, will be a splintered Australia, ruled by sectarian groups pushing their own nationality…Australia as a nation cannot survive what multiculturalism allows.”
We have Gaza refugees who are unvetted as we are the only Western country so mindless – that we don’t vet them . We have the Hiz but-Tazir on charity status in Australia who gather at Jewish rallies (e.g. Sydney 2023) inciting hate and chant ‘gas the Jews’ yet Labor and the NSW state Govt turned a blind eye while sponsoring them from tax payers money for ‘charity’ reasons. We have others preaching radical Islam in the mosque indoctrination in the young, yet a blind eye is turned and no Imams are departed (but they were deported under the Howard Govt as they saw this act as dangerous to Australia’s society)
The ship of Australia will sink if the captain and Leftist crew think they can steer it through the shark infested waters of radical Islam, while it faces a ‘death cult’ culture, which mandates persecution of Jews Jews and Christians. The Govt can either choose to befriend Islam and learn lessons too late or wake up to the dangers afoot.
With Albo hanging on by a thread to the leadership of the Labor Party, it’s an ominous sign that this Muppet will be in the mix should a replacement PM be necessary. The bench is rotten to the core.
Candace should be allowed to come. They let hate preachers of a certain demographic to spew vile hatred at their leisure.
Candace, though controversial in her views of late, shouldn’t be pigeon holed for one aspect of her opinions.
It’s a lay down hand of cards. Candace, like any prominent public figure , should be allowed to come and speak. Freedom of speech demands that. We have nothing to fear in the open exchange of ideas.
Tony Burke’s actions tell us all we need to know about where the Labor Party’s allegiance lies and it ominously tells us more about their proposed mis/disinformation Law.. it will be goodnight to freedom of expression for all of us if that piece of legislation is passed.