AUSTRALIA has cancelled Kanye West’s visa after the rapper released a song titled “Heil Hitler,” which glorifies the Nazi leader, the government said Wednesday.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the visa revocation, saying officials reassessed the case after the song’s release on May 8 — the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II.
West, who now goes by Ye, has family in Australia through his wife, Bianca Censori.
“He’s made a lot of offensive comments,” Burke told ABC. “But once he released the ‘Heil Hitler’ song, he no longer had a valid visa. We don’t need that in Australia.”
Burke said the visa was not for concert purposes and dismissed concerns over banning a high-profile figure: “What’s not sustainable is to import hatred.”
The track has also sparked backlash in Slovakia, where West is scheduled to perform in July. More than 3,000 people signed a petition opposing the concert, calling it a “glorification of wartime violence.”
In the video, Black men in masks chant the song’s title as West raps, ending with a speech excerpt from Hitler. West has also voiced support for Sean Combs, who faces charges of sex trafficking and racketeering in New York.
