A pro-life leader is winging it toward Australia without a visa, after his right to enter was revoked by the Australian government even as he sat on the runway in Denver. Will he be allowed to remain down under?
Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, was sitting on a United Airlines flight from Denver to Los Angeles yesterday afternoon when United personnel pulled him from the flight and informed him his visa had been revoked by the Australian government. Because United would not let him fly from Denver to Los Angeles, he bought a ticket on Southwest and then bought a ticket on an airline he did not identify.
Newman was set to do a ten-city speaking tour of Australia talking about the baby-parts videos he helped produce with David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress. Newman is on Daleiden’s board.
The pro-abortion left in Australia is incensed about Newman’s tour and asked the government to revoke his visa. It charges tthat Newman advocates the killing of abortion doctors, something Newman calls an outright lie.
According to news agency APP, “The opposition is urging immigration Minister Peter Dutton to refuse Mr. Newman a visa over concerns he will incite community harm and harassment of women at medical clinics.”
Labor MP Terri Butler says, “It is not hard to imagine that Mr Newman’s call for abortionists to be executed could lead to threats or the commission of acts of violence against women and medical professionals.”
Newman announced on Facebook this afternoon that he somehow got onto to an Australia-bound flight without a visa, which are generally checked upon arrival. He expects a showdown at immigration.
On Facebook Newman said:
As many of you know I’m scheduled to speak in a national tour with Right to Life Australia from the 1st to the 10th of Oct. But the Australian government revoked my visa at the last minute. The revocation was based on a pile of lies, including the idea that I promote violence. My 25-year history of peaceful, prayerful action speaks for itself. Through a chain of events the Lord has allowed me to get on a plane in spite of many objections by the airlines and Australia. We have been in the air 11 hours and will land in about 4. Please pray that we can get past immigration so the truth can be told throughout Australia.
Newman is scheduled to land in Australia at 5:30 Eastern today. Shortly thereafter he will try to get through immigration.
Follow Austin Ruse on Twitter @austinruse
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