The American anti-abortion campaigner Troy Newman has been denied a visa to travel to Australia, just days after the government indicated it might block the American singer Chris Brown from touring the country.

Newman was due to speak on the topic “save the babies down under” at events promoted by the group Right to Life Australia, but was branded an “anti-choice extremist” by the Labor MP Terri Butler, who said Newman’s visa should be denied on character grounds.

Butler wrote to the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, on Monday arguing that the campaigner could “cause significant harm to our community” because he had previously called for the execution of abortion doctors.

On Wednesday Dutton said the government was taking action. “I can confirm that my department has cancelled the visa for Mr Troy Newman under Section 128 of the Migration Act,” the minister said.

“Mr Newman can appeal for a revocation of this decision and no further comment will be made during this appeal period.”

Newman is president of Operation Rescue, an anti-abortion group that denounced the visa cancellation. The group blamed “viciously false accusations brought by Australian pro-abortion activists and news media that Newman supports violence against abortion providers”.

“Newman has never advocated violence and in fact, urges pro-life activists to work within the governmental and legal system to accomplish change,” Operation Rescue said in a statement.

“Newman boarded his flight in Wichita, Kansas, hoping that the situation would be resolved by the time he arrived in Los Angeles. However, while boarding a connecting flight in Dehownver, Colorado, Newman was stopped and told he could not board his flight to LA because of an order by the Australian government.”

Newman’s allies posted footage of the scene at Denver as Newman argued with airport staff who told him he would have to contact the Australian government to contest their refusal to let him on the flight.

Troy Newman is refused access to his connecting flight in Denver.

Operation Rescue’s senior policy adviser, Cheryl Sullenger, said Newman had been the victim of “political persecution, plain and simple, as well as an attempt to silence the pro-life message in Australia”.

In the same statement, Right to Life Australia said the group was “very upset that this has happened and are working furiously to turn it around”.

The national president of the organisation, Margaret Tighe, told Guardian Australia that the group has been in touch with Dutton’s office to overturn the decision, which she calls a “gross denial” of Newman’s rights.

“We’re working as hard as we can to make sure his visa is reinstated,” Tighe said. “The reason they want to stop him coming is because he had been very effective … the only reason they are doing this is to prevent freedom of speech.”

Butler had focused on comments in the book Their Blood Cries Out, which was co-authored by Newman. She pointed to this passage: “In addition to our personal guilt in abortion, the United States government has abrogated its responsibility to properly deal with the blood-guilty. This responsibility rightly involves executing convicted murderers, including abortionists, for their crimes in order to expunge bloodguilt from the land and people.”

On Wednesday Butler welcomed the minister’s decision to block the visa and rejected claims Newman had been subjected to false accusations.

Butler said her letter to Dutton had quoted Newman’s own direct comments. “Right to Life should concentrate on making sure there is responsible and respectful debate and not on importing people who advocated for doctors to be executed for doing things that are lawful,” she said.

Labor’s Senate leader, Penny Wong, backed Butler’s request for the visa to be cancelled. “Mr Newman’s public comments go well beyond what would be regarded as acceptable debate in this country,” Wong said. “His views are repugnant. Mr Newman’s presence in Australia risks inciting intimidation and violence against vulnerable women.”

The government’s decision to cancel Newman’s visa is a different process from the one adopted in the case of Brown, whose travel was scheduled for December. Brown was issued with a notice of intention to consider visa refusal, giving the artist 28 days to present material as to why he should be allowed into the country.

Brown pleaded guilty to attacking his then girlfriend, the pop singer Rihanna, in 2009 and was sentenced to five years of probation.

He was due to travel to Australia for shows in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, but a petition by campaign group GetUp! to deny him a visa has attracted more than 14,000 signatures.



In a series of comments posted on his official Twitter account on Tuesday, Brown argued that his “life mistakes should be a wake up call for everyone” and he should be allowed to proceed with his visit.



“I would be more than grateful to come to Australia to raise awareness about domestic violence,” he wrote.

Brown said young people did not listen to parents or public service announcements, but entertainers had the power to change lives.

I would be more than grateful to come to Australia to raise awareness about domestic violence.Im not the pink elephant in the room anymore — Chris Brown (@chrisbrown) September 29, 2015

My life mistakes should be a wake up call for everyone. Showing the world that mistakes don't define you. Trying to prevent spousal abuse — Chris Brown (@chrisbrown) September 29, 2015

The youth don't listen to parents nor do they listen to PSA's. The power that we have as Entertainers can change lives. — Chris Brown (@chrisbrown) September 29, 2015

The minister for women, Michaelia Cash, indicated last week that Brown should not be allowed into Australia.

“People need to understand if you are going to commit domestic violence and then you want to travel around the world, there are going to be countries that say to you ‘You cannot come in because you are not of the character we expect in Australia’,” Cash said at a media event to launch the government’s new domestic violence initiatives.