Kanye West has been expelled from Twitter and Instagram, and had business relationships with Balenciaga, Adidas, Foot Locker, the Gap and more end since going public with his antisemitic beliefs. Could the entire continent of Australia be next to deem the rapper persona non grata?
The artist, who now goes simply by Ye, reportedly married Bianca Censori, a 27-year-old Australian architect who works for his Yeezy company, earlier this month. This has since prompted Jewish organizations such as Australia’s Anti Defamation Commission (ADC) to publicly call on officials to ban Ye from ever visiting his rumored new wife’s home country.
“Calling for violence and hate must have consequences, and Australia should not put out the welcome mat and provide a platform to a hatemonger who spews threats against the Jewish community and peddles conspiracy myths about Jewish power, greed and control,” said Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, in a statement to news.com.au.
“This kind of rhetoric is dangerous and has real-world consequences given the more than 30 million followers that this person has, and who may start believing that his demonisation of the Jewish community and that they must act,” Abramovich continued. “At a time of rising antisemitism in Australia and increasing vilification, his presence in the country, revolting anti-Jewish propaganda and incitement, and abhorrent rhetoric poses a significant risk to the Jewish community.
“On the basis of his record of demonization of the Jewish people (’death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE’) we urge Minister Giles to use his powers under section 501 of The Migration Act and refuse Kanye entry.”
Also calling on Andrew Giles, Australian Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, to block any attempts from the “Donda” musician to obtain a visa for his rumored future visit to Australia is the Australian Jewish Association (AJA), which issued an open letter on the subject Sunday (Jan. 22).
“Antisemitism is at elevated levels in Australia, part of a worldwide trend. Multiple recent antisemitic incidents across Australia have specifically referenced Kanye West, including graffiti in Melbourne and leaflets in Brisbane,” the letter read. “The Australian Jewish Association fears that a visit by Kanye West is likely to inflame the tense situation and even risks causing violence.”
Billboard has been unable to locate any reps for Ye for comment.
See the AJA’s letter below:
*Editor’s Note: After an Oct. 8, 2022, tweet in which he announced he was going “death con [sic] 3 on Jewish people,” Kanye West (Ye) has repeatedly doubled down on antisemitic hate speech, even going so far as to praise Hitler, a man responsible for the systematic murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. This arrives at a troubling time when antisemitism is on the rise, with the Anti-Defamation League noting a 34% year-over-year increase in antisemitic incidents (assault, harassment and vandalism) in America in 2021. Many companies have cut business ties with the rapper/fashion designer, while numerous musicians, friends and politicians have condemned his comments.
