A British father who has called Australia home for 15 years is now facing deportation after authorities cancelled his visa over alleged online hate speech.
Arrest and Allegations
Kayn Adam Charles Wells, 43, was arrested at his home in Caboolture, north of Brisbane, on December 3. The arrest followed allegations he used two separate accounts on X, formerly Twitter, to post anti-Semitic content between October 10 and November 5 this year.
Following a search of his property, police claim to have discovered several weapons, including swords marked with swastikas, axes, and knives. Wells was subsequently charged with four offences: using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, and three counts of publicly displaying prohibited Nazi symbols.
From Bail to Detention
Although initially released on bail and scheduled to appear in court on January 7, 2025, Wells was taken into immigration custody this week after his visa was cancelled. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the move, stating the British national would be offered the chance to leave voluntarily or face forced deportation to the UK.
"He came here to hate - he doesn't get to stay," Mr Burke said on Wednesday. "If you come to Australia on a visa, you are here as a guest... but if someone comes here for the purposes of hate, they can leave."
A Family's Defence and a Wider Crackdown
Wells, a permanent resident since 2013, lives with his Australian wife, Kellie, and their son. His wife has publicly defended him, telling the Daily Mail her husband is not a neo-Nazi but a mentally ill man who suffered a severe change in personality after being violently assaulted by a group of teenagers in January.
She claims the attack left him with head injuries, PTSD, and unable to work, leading to social isolation and a descent into depression. Ms Wells stated he turned to online communities for support and that his offensive posts were a symptom of his trauma, not a long-held ideology.
This case forms part of a broader government clampdown on visa holders allegedly spreading hate. It follows the deportation of South African neo-Nazi Matthew Gruter earlier this month and comes in the wake of the deadly Bondi Beach terror attack on December 14, which killed 15 people and injured 42.
Minister Burke has vowed to toughen laws on hate speech and make it easier to cancel visas, with new legislative measures being drafted for introduction after Christmas.
