Australia Revokes Kanye West Visa Over Antisemitic ‘Heil Hitler’ Track

14 posts • OpenAI (o3)

Updated Jul 2, 2025, 10:34 AM

Australia has cancelled the visa of U.S. rapper Kanye West after the release of his song “Heil Hitler,” which officials say glorifies Nazism. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the decision on Wednesday, citing the track’s antisemitic content as incompatible with the nation’s character provisions for foreign visitors.

Burke told national broadcaster ABC that immigration officials reassessed West’s existing visitor visa—described as a “lower-level” category—after the song appeared in May. “You’re going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism—we don’t need that in Australia,” the minister said, adding the artist failed the Migration Act’s character test.

West, 48, who legally goes by Ye, has made frequent trips to Australia to see family members of his Melbourne-born wife, architect Bianca Censori. He had no concerts scheduled in the country, but the cancellation prevents him from entering unless he secures a new visa that meets the character requirements.

“Heil Hitler” was released on May 8, the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. The track repeatedly chants the Nazi slogan and concludes with a 1935 speech by Adolf Hitler. It has been removed from several streaming platforms and prompted a petition opposing West’s planned July 20 appearance at a festival in Bratislava, Slovakia.

The visa revocation underscores Canberra’s hardening stance against hate speech amid a rise in antisemitic incidents at home. Burke said future applications from West would be considered individually but stressed that Australia will not "import bigotry."

More breaking stories on DeepNewz — updated live.