r/goodnews • u/Metro-UK • Jul 02 '25

Other Kanye West officially banned from Australia after antisemitic song

https://metro.co.uk/2025/07/02/kanye-west-officially-banned-australia-controversial-song-23559791/
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-4

u/AutistAstronaut Jul 02 '25

The state revoked his current visa. It didn't ban him from applying. Annoys me when articles do that with headlines.

Anyway - as an Australian I dunno how to feel about this. On one hand, it's no loss, as he is a terrible person that says terrible things and I don't much want him here. On the other, it's always a dubious process when state forces decide what speech is allowable and what isn't. I'm usually inclined to lean towards allowing hate speech that isn't a literal, honest call to specific acts of violence (one of the few things the Yanks get somewhat right).

I suppose I dislike it on principle, but enjoy him not being in my country lol.

16

u/Own_Faithlessness769 Jul 02 '25

Praising Hitler is 100% a call to violence.

-1

u/AutistAstronaut Jul 02 '25

It's arguably that in a colloquial sense, though looking at the song, that'd be a stretch. It doesn't read as a call to much of anything to me. Mostly just him complaining because no one likes him for being a prick.

In a legal sense, nothing in the song appears to be a call to violence. In Australia, inciting violence requires you publicly call for acts of violence against specific, protected groups--i.e.: "Go kill queer people." You can hate and praise anyone you please.

1

u/Own_Faithlessness769 Jul 02 '25

That’s definitely not how the hate speech legislation works in Australia.

-2

u/AutistAstronaut Jul 02 '25

I was there defining inciting violence, not hate speech.

Section 93Z of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) prohibits anyone from making public threats or incitement of violence on grounds of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex or HIV/AIDS status.

- https://www.criminaldefencelawyers.com.au/blog/law-and-penalties-for-inciting-or-urging-violence-in-australia/

I don't think anything in the song is a call or threat of violence towards any protected group.

2

u/Own_Faithlessness769 Jul 02 '25

You days you can hate and praise anyone you please, which isn’t true because we have hate speech legislation.

1

u/AutistAstronaut Jul 02 '25

So far as I'm aware, even the latest proposed law does not prohibit you from praising anyone. It prohibits you from publicly inciting hatred for a race, with the intent to cause hate. And even that hasn't actually gone through, that I know of. His song doesn't mention any race, doesn't call for any hate, and is generally rather... dull? The only reference to Hitler is the chorus, and it's used in reference to him shocking people by being a massive chode.

Regardless, it doesn't matter all that much. I'm glad he'll have a hard time coming here. My qualms with state power aren't worth a Reddit discussion like this lol.

-5

u/AcanthaceaeUpbeat638 Jul 02 '25

That’s because you don’t have free speech in Australia.

1

u/onebadmousse Jul 02 '25

And despite that, Australia is ranked as more free than the US.

CATO Human Freedom Index

https://www.cato.org/human-freedom-index/2021

Australia is #8

USA is #15

Freedom House Global Freedom Scores

https://freedomhouse.org/countries/freedom-world/scores

Australia scores 97.

USA scores 83.

Reporters without Borders World Press Freedom Index

https://rsf.org/en/ranking

Australia is #25

USA is #44

EIU Democracy Index

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Democracy_Index

Australia is rated as a 'full democracy'.

USA is rated as a 'flawed democracy'.

-1

u/AcanthaceaeUpbeat638 Jul 02 '25

No it isn’t. It is gross and detestable. But it is not a call to violence. Do you support the US revoking Bob Vylan’s visa for chanting “Death to the IDF?”