Kanye West’s Australian visa has been cancelled over the release of antisemitic song Heil Hitler.
The 48-year-old rapper – whose wife Bianca Censori has family Down Under – had a ‘lower-level’ visa which has now been revoked after the May release.
The country’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told ABC: ‘He’s been coming to Australia for a long time.
‘He’s got family here and he’s made a lot of offensive comments that my officials looked at again.
‘Once he released the Heil Hitler song, he no longer has a valid visa in Australia.
‘It wasn’t a visa for the purpose of concerts. It was a lower-level 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.’
It is not clear if West has been permanently banned from Australia, and Burke explained that visa applications are reassessed each time they are submitted.
Asked whether a ban on West, also known as Ye, would sustain, Burke said: ‘I think that what’s not sustainable is to import hatred… We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry.’
In 2023 Australia also considered blocking West, when the education minister Jason Clare condemned his ‘awful’ comments about the Holocaust.
West’s song Heil Hitler, which comes as part of his controversial new album WW3, is blocked on most streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
The Stronger rapper has for years now come under fire over his controversial behaviour and statements.
Earlier this year this included praising Adolf Hitler and selling t-shirts emblazoned with a Swastika.
However, following the release of Heil Hitler in May, West asked for forgiveness and called for peace.
He wrote in a series of posts on X: “I am done with antisemitism. I love all people. God forgive me for the pain I’ve caused. I forgive those who have caused me pain. Thank you God. The earth itself is in Gods Kingdom. GOD CALLS FOR PEACE. Share peace. Share love.’
The highly controversial rapper claimed his outlook changed after he enjoyed a video call with his and ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s four children, North, 11, Saint, nine, Chicago, seven, and six-year-old Psalm.
He wrote: ‘I simply got a FaceTime from my kids and I wanna save the world again.’
This isn’t the first time Kanye has seemingly had a change of heart as in February, he declared he was ‘not a Nazi’ following ‘further reflection’.
Taking to X, he wrote: ‘After further reflection I’ve come to the realization that I’m not a Nazi.’
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