Australia cancels visa of Israeli influencer
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Mr Sammy Yahood said his visa was cancelled three hours before his flight departed from Israel.
PHOTO: SAMMYYAHOOD/INSTAGRAM
SYDNEY – Australia has cancelled the visa of an Israeli influencer who campaigns against Islam, saying it will not accept visitors who come to spread hatred.
Mr Sammy Yahood, who has commented on social media that Islam is a “disgusting ideology”, said on Jan 26 that his visa was cancelled three hours before his flight departed from Israel.
Mr Yahood flew to Abu Dhabi anyway, but was blocked from getting his connecting flight.
“This is a story about tyranny, censorship and control,” he posted on X.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement sent to AFP on Jan 27 that people who want to visit Australia should apply for the right visa and come for the right reasons.
“Spreading hatred is not a good reason to come,” he said.
Australia tightened its hate crime laws
Mr Yahood’s visa was reportedly cancelled under the same legislation that has been used in the past to reject people’s visas on hatred grounds.
The conservative Australian Jewish Association, which had invited the influencer to speak, said it “strongly condemned” the visa decision by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government.
It criticised visa cancellations for other Jewish visitors, including far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, who was blocked in 2025.
“This latest cancellation reinforces deep concerns within the Jewish community that, despite the horror of the Bondi massacre and the government’s belated apology, the Albanese Government hasn’t changed and was never genuine,” the association’s chief executive Robert Gregory said in a statement. AFP
