Immigration New Zealand (INZ) deputy chief operations officer Jeannie Melville said: reporter INZ had received an application from Owens for the artist’s work visa.

“His application is being assessed against all relevant immigration requirements,” he said.

“All visa applicants must meet certain requirements, including a good character assessment, which takes into account factors such as criminal convictions, deportation history and potential risks to the security of New Zealand, public order or the public interest.

“There is no provision in the Immigration Act that prevents a person from traveling to New Zealand simply for expressing previous views and opinions.

“Immigration decision-makers must weigh all factors and consider whether an individual poses a threat or risk to security, public order or the public interest and can be considered an excluded person.”

This morning Sydney Morning Herald He confirmed that Owens’ Australian visa had been cancelled, and Immigration Minister Tony Burke said: “Candace Owens has the capacity to incite disagreement on issues ranging from downplaying the impact of the Holocaust with comments about (German SS officer Josef) Mengele to claims that Muslims introduced slavery. direction”.

“Australia’s national interests are best served when Candace Owens is elsewhere.”

New Zealand Holocaust Center president Deborah Hart said Owens’ comments about Jews were linked to centuries-old anti-Semitic conspiracies.

“Candace Owens has some crazy ideas. He says Jews planned the JFK assassination and distorted the Holocaust, including questioning medical experiments in death camps. In 2022, he defended Ye (Kanye West) when he said he was going to ‘Deathcon 3 against the Jewish people.’ “He believes there was no moon landing,” he said. reporter.

“He actually seems to have an unhealthy preoccupation with Jews because he has so much to say about a group of people who make up less than 0.2% of the world’s population. “He also has some very bad things to say about the gay community and Muslims.”

Hart said there had been a sharp rise in anti-Semitism in New Zealand and he was concerned Owens could exacerbate it.

“There is a balance between the right to freedom of expression, which needs to be protected, and the right to safety and security of minority communities, which also needs to be protected,” he said.

“The Jewish community in New Zealand is small and also vulnerable. “He has recently been subjected to verbal threats, physical abuse and property damage.”

Hart said Owens should be treated “with the disdain he deserves” if his visit to New Zealand goes ahead.

“We should all turn our backs on him. He’s actually good for a solid bite, but he doesn’t have much new to say based on the evidence. He’s pretty boring that way.”

David Williams is an Auckland-based multimedia journalist who joined the Herald in 2023. It covers breaking news and general topics.

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