Conservative commentator Candace Owens was refused a visa into New Zealand and Australia over comments that both countries deemed inappropriate, according to the New York Post.
Owens was scheduled to speak at a series of events across Australia and in Auckland, New Zealand, in February and March of 2025. Australia rejected Owens’ visa request, citing remarks in which she denied medical experimentation on Jewish people during World War II.
The comments Australia reference came from comments that Owens posted in a YouTube video in which she appeared to minimize the horrors of the Holocaust.
The event featuring Owens has yet to update its website to reflect that Owens will no longer be able to speak in person. At the time of the event announcement, Owens promised her audience a discussion of free speech and about her Christian faith.
Australian officials banned Owens from the country with Immigration Minister Tony Burke saying that Owens “has the capacity to incite discord in almost every direction.”
“Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else,” Burke said. The decision was made following an Australian Jewish group’s campaign to bar her from the country.
New Zealand did not cite Owens’ political or cultural views as a reason for banning her from the country. Instead, a spokesperson for New Zealand’s immigration agency said she was refused an entertainer’s work permit on the grounds that visas cannot be granted to those who have been excluded from another country.
Her speaking tour was scheduled to begin in Melbourne, with tickets ranging from $95 for reserved seating to $15,000 for a VIP package that included a meet-and-greet with Owens. Other tour stops included Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, and Brisbane.
“Join us for an electrifying evening with Candace Owens, the outspoken and fearless American conservative social commentator, author, activist, and YouTube sensation,” a description of the show reads.
