Tamaki says he was detained in Australia and sent back from airport over Sikhs, Muslims remarks
The self-styled cleric is facing charges in New Zealand for inciting racial disharmony.
The Destiny Church leader claims Australian authorities considered his presence a risk to Sikh and Muslim communities.
Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki says he was detained for more than 12 hours at Brisbane Airport and sent back to New Zealand after Australian authorities cancelled his visa over inflammatory social media statements concerning Sikhs and Muslims.
Tamaki, who appeared in a New Zealand court earlier this week on three charges of inciting racial disharmony, said Australian Border Force officers intercepted him on October 20 when he arrived with his family to speak at a Christian church conference.
In a Facebook post today, he said he was questioned for more than 12 hours before his visa was cancelled under Section 116 of Australia's Migration Act.
He claimed he was subsequently held under guard until he was placed on a flight back to Auckland, arriving on Wednesday night.
According to excerpts from Australian Border Force documents quoted by Tamaki, authorities considered his social media statements "inflammatory and concerning".
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The documents, as quoted in his post, said his presence in Australia "may risk the good order of the Australian community, or a segment of the Australian community, namely the Sikh and Muslim communities".
Another excerpt referred to Tamaki having "made multiple statements online concerning his views of other religions namely Sikh and Islam".
The documents have not been independently verified, and Australian authorities have not confirmed the circumstances of the reported visa cancellation.
Tamaki said he had travelled to Australia to preach at a Christian conference, not to commit a crime. He portrayed the decision as an attack on religious freedom and free speech.
"This maybe the first time that a Christian conference is put under a hate crime investigation in Australian history," he wrote. "This is a dangerous trajectory towards criminalising Christianity."
The reported incident comes just days after Tamaki appeared in Manukau District Court on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to three charges of inciting racial disharmony.
The charges relate to Facebook posts published on June 15, 17 and 21, around the time of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to New Zealand. Police allege the posts were abusive or insulting and intended to excite ill-will against Indians on the grounds of race and national origin.
The prosecution required the Attorney-General's consent under the Human Rights Act. Tamaki has maintained that his comments concerned Modi, religious beliefs and the treatment of Christians in India, rather than hostility towards Indians,and has characterised the prosecution as an attack on free speech.
In Thursday's post, Tamaki linked the two developments and questioned whether New Zealand authorities had played any part in Australia's decision to cancel his visa.
"It's within days of me facing three charges of alleged 'racial disharmony' here in New Zealand, that I have been refused entry into Australia over my public statements about religion and mass immigration," he wrote.
"Two countries. The same issue. My right to speak."
He called for answers about possible information-sharing between the two countries, specifically naming police minister Mark Mitchell and New Zealand Police.
"I want answers about whether New Zealand authorities shared information with Australia and what role, if any, that played in this decision," he said.
He framed the incident as part of a broader struggle over freedom of expression.
"Is this where we are heading? Where challenging religious beliefs can see a Christian pastor prosecuted in his own country and refused entry into another?"
Tamaki said he was back home and remained determined to continue speaking publicly despite the court proceedings and the Australian immigration decision.
"You can stop me at a border. You can cancel my visa. You can drag me through the courts... But you will not silence my voice," he wrote.
