Controversial influencer’s visa cancelled hours before flight
Sammy Yahood was preparing to board a flight from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne when home affairs minister Tony Burke revoked his visa.
Home affairs minister Tony Burke cancelled controversial British-Israeli influencer Sammy Yahood’s visa just three hours before his scheduled flight from Israel to Australia on Monday.
Yahood was preparing to board a flight from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne when Burke revoked his visa, telling The Guardian that “spreading hatred was not a good reason” to come to Australia.
The influencer had courted controversy over recent calls to “ban Islam”, including a post on X on November 6 stating: “It’s time to ban Islam. It’s time to stop being tolerant of those that are not tolerant of us.”
In a separate post he stated Islam “cannot be trusted to simply ‘co-exist”.
Yahood was scheduled to run a series of self-defence workshops and launch his “peace through strength” campaign. He was also due to speak at major synagogues in Sydney and Melbourne and participate in events with Jewish organisations.
Yahood criticised Burke’s decision, claiming the minister used his public opinions against him.
“Tony Burke has used some of my public opinions on Islam and the 50,000 terrorist attacks committed by Islamists since 9/11, and my moral clarity on that fact, against me entering Australia,” he said.
“The Jewish community of Australia and around the world needs my services now more than ever.”
Yahood said his work centres around “changing culture”.
“Gratitude instead of entitlement, courage instead of political correctness, standing up for our values, our morals and our faith. Sometimes that means upsetting people,” he said.
“It’s a shame that the Australian government has turned to censorship and is silencing those that are brave enough to stand up and use their voices for the truth and for the survival of Judeo-Christian culture and values.”
Australian Jewish Association CEO Robert Gregory said in a statement that the cancellation represented a “misuse of Interior Minister Tony Burke’s ministerial powers” under new hate speech laws.
Yahood is the latest to have his visa revoked by Burke after former Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked, American technology entrepreneur Hillel Fuld and Knesset member Simcha Rothman were all denied entry into Australia.
The decision comes as Burke exercises expanded powers under recently passed hate speech legislation to prevent entry of individuals deemed to be promoting division or extremism.
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