Summary
Candace Owens, a U.S. conservative commentator, has been denied a visa to enter New Zealand for a speaking tour after being banned from Australia.
Australian officials barred her in October, citing her Holocaust denial remarks and potential to incite discord, following calls from Jewish groups.
New Zealand immigration laws prohibit entry to individuals banned from other countries.
Owens, known for controversial statements on topics like Black Lives Matter and vaccines, had planned to discuss free speech and Christianity at events in both countries. Tickets for her tour remain on sale.
This might make her more influential. Some people may wonder why the government is trying to silence her by banning her and decide follow her as a means of rebellion.
I’m willing to risk it by deplatforming her and her cronies.
Elon Musk letting all the neo-Nazis and racists back on Twitter certainly didn’t have the effect of making people more dismissive of those viewpoints
The only people she could influence are people that were already predisposed to fascist leanings in the first place. She’s merely one rotten influencer, there are scores more of them out there–many of whom will easily fill the space she left with their own brand of bullshit
It will backfire in the short term, but it’s better to take the hit now than to wait until she causes more trouble.