New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens

Source: AP

Updated 1:30 AM EST, December 12, 2024


WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand immigration official has overturned a ban on the U.S. conservative political commentator Candace Owens entering the country, citing “the importance of free speech,” a spokesperson for the official said Thursday.

Owens is scheduled to speak at events in several Australian cities and in Auckland, New Zealand, in February and March. But Australia’s Immigration Minister Tony Burke barred her from that country in October, mentioning remarks in which she denied Nazi medical experimentation on Jews in concentration camps during World War II.

The commentator, who has more than 3 million followers on YouTube, is accused by her detractors of promoting conspiracy theories and stoking antisemitism, and has ignited firestorms with her remarks opposing Black Lives Matter, feminism, vaccines and immigration. New Zealand’s immigration agency refused her an entertainer’s work permit in November on the ground that visas legally cannot be granted to those who have been excluded from another country.

Owens appealed the decision to Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk, according to a statement by Penk’s office on Thursday. Penk, who is allowed discretion on visa decisions, granted Owens a visa “after considering representations made to him, including the importance of free speech,” the statement said.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/candace-owens-zealand-australia-visa-immigration-penk-4097696cfe907497545df562c7f2b1ef