Palestinian activist denied Aus visa

Palestinian human rights campaigner Bassem Tamimi has had his visa to enter Australian revoked.

Palestinian human rights campaigner Bassem Tamimi

Palestinian human rights campaigner Bassem Tamimi has had his visa to enter Australia revoked. (AAP)

A Palestinian human rights campaigner has had his visa to enter Australia cancelled.

Bassem Tamimi, an outspoken activist and opponent of Israeli settlement in the West Bank, was scheduled to speak in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth this month.

However documents addressed to the 50-year-old and viewed by AAP dated April 6, show Mr Tamimi's visa to enter the country was revoked by federal authorities based on information indicating "a risk members of the public will react adversely to your presence ... regarding your views of the ongoing political tensions in the Middle East".

The visa was granted on April 4 and cancelled the next day under section 128 of the Migration Act.

Mr Timimi said he was disappointed to learn that he would not be able to visit.

"I feel that not only Palestine is occupied, the Zionists and their allies dominate the decision in all the world," he said from Jordan where he expected to board his flight to Australia.

"We are not fighting the Israeli occupation, we are fighting the colonisation everywhere. For that we must unify our struggles for humanity."

Organisers of Mr Tamimi's visit have described the move as an act of extreme censorship and have called on Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to reverse the visa cancellation.

"It is clear that this decision is motivated to silence pro-Palestinian views rather than avoiding politically controversial views," speaking tour activist Vashti Kenway said.

An Australian Friends of Palestine Association event post said Mr Tamimi's Sydney event was scheduled for April 11 at Sydney University.

A change.org petition against the government's ruling was created on Friday night.

Mr Tamimi was convicted by an Israeli military court in 2011 for "sending people to throw stones and holding a march without a permit".

His lawyers denied the charges saying he believed in "passive resistance".

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection have been contacted for comment.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world