Australia bans Canadian right-winger Mcinnes
It hasn’t been a good fall for Gavin Mcinnes, the Canadian gadfly of the U.S. far right.
First, several members of the group he founded — the Proud Boys — were arrested last month after a brawl outside one of his speaking appearances. Then a report emerged suggesting the FBI had designated the organization an extremist outfit. The group describes itself as “western chauvinists” who see their culture as under siege.
Finally, Mcinnes announced earlier this month he was quitting the Proud Boys in the hope of helping those who were arrested. “I’m told by my legal team and law enforcement that this gesture could help alleviate their sentencing,” he said at the time.
And then Friday came another setback, this time in Australia. Media reports say the government there has refused to issue Mcinnes a visa, ruling he had failed what the Australians call the “character test” for foreign visitors.
He had booked a speaking tour of several cities with Tommy Robinson, a U.K. farright activist. They were promoting “The Deplorables” tour as a comedy act.
The government’s decision came after a petition with 81,000 signatures was submitted to Parliament, calling for the Canadian to be kept out of the country.
“To have allowed him to come still, I think, would have made it seem as if the government had given tacit approval at the very least to these calls for violence against people you don’t agree with as a legitimate form of free speech,” lawyer Nyadol Nyuon, who spearheaded the petition, told Australia’s ABC broadcaster.
“It’s not and it should never be.”
Among other things, the character test applied by Australia’s Home Affairs Department says entrants to the country cannot vilify a segment of the local population, incite discord or be a danger. Visa applicants with a criminal record can also be denied under the test.
Applicants may appeal visa rejections to an administrative tribunal, but Australian media reported that Mcinnes has already missed the deadline for appealing.
In a text message to News Corp Australia, Mcinnes said he wasn’t bothered by the news of his visa rejection.
“Getting screamed at by a bunch of delusional SJWS isn’t exactly the best environment for comedy,” he said, referring to left-wing activists (sometimes derisively called social justice warriors).