A women's rights group and politicians have raised concerns over an upcoming tour announced by R. Kelly. The R&B singer faces numerous accusations of sexual abuse dating back decades, many of which emerged in the documentary Surviving R. Kelly.
It featured detailed accounts of alleged physical and emotional abuse of women, and protesters have called for a ban on his music and concerts.
The singer, who denies the accusations and has faced no charges over the claims, announced a new tour on social media on Tuesday when he tweeted: "New tour alert, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, see y'all soon."
Australia's shadow immigration minister, Shayne Neumann, has said that the government should refuse Kelly a visa on "character or criminal grounds. Labor would be seriously concerned if immigration minister David Coleman would allow an individual such as R. Kelly into Australia.
"If the immigration minister suspects that a non-citizen does not pass the character test, or there is a risk to the community while they are in Australia, he should use the powers he has under the Migration Act to deny or cancel their visa," Neumann said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Australia's home affairs department said that it did not comment on individual cases but that legislation provided "strong provisions…to refuse or cancel a visa where a person is found not to be of good character," according to The Guardian.
In the past, facing allegations of violence against women, Chris Brown and Floyd Mayweather were denied visas to enter Australia. The country also canceled a visa for U.S. "pick-up artist" Julien Blanc, citing his derogatory views on women.
Chief executive of the New Zealand charity Women's Refuge, Ang Jury, said that the singer should not be allowed to perform. "We've got really big issues in this country with domestic violence, with sexual violence, with violence against women in short. He's emblematic of so many of those problems and having him here is just a bad message," she told Newshub.
There was confusion in December when the singer disputed the announcement of a tour to New Zealand by tour company Big Music Tour. That tour news, which he said was "fake," sparked similar opposition.
Other artists including Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and Jennifer Hudson, have pulled songs from streaming platforms that feature the singer, and the "Mute R. Kelly" social media campaign has been gaining traction.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more
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