A British father who has lived in Australia for 15 years is set to be deported after authorities cancelled his visa over a series of alleged neo-Nazi social media posts.
Arrest and Allegations of Online Hate
Kayn Adam Charles Wells, 43, was arrested at his home in Caboolture, north of Brisbane, on December 3. He is now being held at an immigration detention centre in Brisbane awaiting removal from the country.
Australian Federal Police allege Wells posted antisemitic content on the social media platform X between October 10 and November 5 this year. The posts reportedly included a Nazi swastika and calls for violence against Jewish people.
Authorities state that after one of his accounts was blocked by the platform, he created a new profile with a similar name and continued to upload what police describe as "offensive and harmful content."
Weapons Raid and Government Stance
On November 21, officers from the Queensland Police Service and the AFP's National Security Investigations team searched his property. They allegedly seized several weapons, including swords marked with swastikas, axes, and knives.
Australia's Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, delivered a blunt message regarding the case. "He came here to hate – he doesn't get to stay," Burke said. He emphasised that visa holders are guests in Australia and those who come "for the purposes of hate" can leave.
Wells has been charged with three counts of displaying banned Nazi symbols and one count of using the internet to cause offence. He is due to face court on January 7.
A Family's Defence and Broader Crackdown
The Daily Mail reports that Wells, originally known as Adam, legally added 'Kayn' to his name in late 2020. He moved to Australia in 2013, has an Australian wife, Kellie, and a young son.
His wife has publicly defended him, insisting he is not a neo-Nazi but is mentally ill. She claims his mental health deteriorated after he was violently assaulted by eight teenagers in January while working as a car park cleaner, leaving him with head injuries and psychological trauma.
Ms Wells described the social media posts as a ‘PTSD outburst’ and said the sword found was a plastic prop he collected. She and their son now face being separated from Wells or moving to the UK with no resources.
This case is part of a wider Australian government effort to cancel visas of those who breach character requirements. The move follows the deportation of a South African neo-Nazi earlier this year and comes as Minister Burke seeks increased powers to revoke visas for hate symbol display and speech.
