Australia Cancels Visa of Israeli Citizen Over Anti-Islam Campaign

Darwin, 27 January: The Australian government has revoked the visa of an Israeli social media influencer accused of spreading anti-Islamic rhetoric, the country’s Home Affairs Minister announced Tuesday.

Australian authorities said the influencer, identified as Yahud, had his visa canceled just three hours before he was scheduled to board a flight from Israel to Australia. The government stated that promoting hate and divisive content has no place in Australia and that foreign visitors must have legitimate reasons and intentions for entry.

In posts on the social media platform X prior to the visa cancellation, Yahud reportedly described Islam as an “aggressive” and “repulsive ideology,” and expressed views hostile toward believers, women’s rights, children’s rights, and LGBTQ+ right.

Australia has recently strengthened its hate-related offence laws following a mass shooting at a Jewish event in Bondi Beach earlier this month, aiming to prevent the entry of individuals whose speech could incite division or violence.

The decision has drawn mixed reactions: while the Australian government defended the move as necessary to uphold community harmony, some conservative groups, including the Australian Jewish Association, condemned the visa cancellation as overly restrictive.

Despite the action, Yahud claimed on X that he was being “unlawfully barred” from Australia and vowed to challenge the decision, calling it “tyranny and censorship.”