October 16, 2024
The US law professor who told a pro-Palestine rally on 7 October that the first anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel marked “considerable celebration” for its role in elevating “global literacy” on Palestine has had his visa cancelled.
An Australian government source confirmed Khaled Beydoun, an associate professor in law at Arizona State University, had left the country last week after being informed his visa status was under consideration by the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, after the remarks.
The visa was then cancelled after Beydoun had flown out of Australia.
Beydoun made the remarks at a rally planned by Stand 4 Palestine on the steps of Lakemba mosque earlier this month, sparking backlash from Coalition frontbenchers.
According to a recording of the speech aired on the ABC, he said: “In many respects, today is also a day that marks considerable celebration, considerable progress, and in some respects, considerable privilege. The level of global literacy around what’s taking place in Palestine has exponentially risen.”
The speech was on the first anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage – about 100 of whom remain unaccounted for.
More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military response to the 7 October attacks, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Responding to initial media reports, Burke said he had asked the home affairs department to conduct a check on his visa status.
“At 8.30pm they confirmed this man is traveling on a visa. I immediately asked them to prepare a brief so I can consider his visa status,” he said in a statement.
The opposition home affairs spokesperson, James Paterson, said Beydoun’s visa should never have been approved in the first place.
“But he did prove the point that many of us are making in the lead-up to the rallies on Monday, which is that the only reason you would organise a pro-Palestinian protest on Monday, is if you thought it was worthy of celebration,” he told Sky News.
Burke has previously warned of his hardline stance on visa cancellations in response to reports marchers at pro-Palestine protests carried Hezbollah flags.
“There is a higher level of scrutiny if anyone is on a visa. I have made clear from day one that I will consider refusing and cancelling visas for anyone who seeks to incite discord in Australia,” Burke said in September.
In an interview on the news podcast The Briefing days after his remarks, Beydoun reportedly explained to the host the comments had been taken out of context.
Guardian Australia attempted to contact Beydoun via LinkedIn last week but received no response.
