Tamaki claims Australia barred him after remarks about burning mosques and temples
October 23, 2026
Summarised by Centrist
Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki says he was detained for 12 hours at Brisbane Airport, denied entry to Australia and sent back to New Zealand after being questioned about his public statements on immigration, Islam and Sikhism.
He claims the incident was an attack on free speech.
In a June video, Tamaki accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of persecuting Christians and suggested retaliating against religious communities in New Zealand.
"Let's purge New Zealand of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims," he said, before asking: "Why don't we burn mosques and their temples down? Tit for tat."
Tamaki later claimed that he did not mean the remarks literally and insisted he had never advocated violence. He also acknowledged that no Hindus had threatened him and no churches had been burned down in New Zealand.
Police subsequently revoked his firearms licence, citing concerns that his comments encouraged violence and significant property damage.
On Monday, Tamaki pleaded not guilty to three charges of inciting racial disharmony relating to Facebook posts in June.
Tamaki says Australian officials questioned him about his statements and warned that his presence could upset Muslim and Sikh communities. He alleges New Zealand and
Australia collaborated to silence him.
Australian authorities have yet to publicly confirm his account.
Community Discussion
Comment Policy