UPDATE: Clive Palmer Calls For Dee Snider's Visa To Be Rejected Ahead Of Aussie Tour

8 January 2019 | 9:59 am | Staff Writer

"From what I’ve seen Clive seems to have little understanding of either the truth or the law."

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UPDATE:

Clive Palmer has called on Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to reject Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider's visa just weeks out from his tour of Australia. 

Responding in a statement posted to the United Australia Party's Facebook today, Palmer hit back at allegations he ignored a cease and desist letter regarding his use of a re-written version of the band's hit track, We're Not Gonna Take It.

“The song We’re Not Gonna Take It as an alleged musical work was not written by Dee Snider. The music was originally arranged as a cappella piece from the hymn O Come All Ye Faithful first composed in the mid 1700s,” Palmer said.

“Others may have documented the instrumentation, but the melody was already present.

“As Twisted Sister never remunerated the original arranger, we do not understand how they have ever had any claim to its copyright.

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“It seems Universal Music Group may have been misled at the time of paying the group’s front man Dee Snider money for something he never owned,’’ Mr Palmer said.

The statement concludes, “We are concerned about defamation and threats made by Dee Snider and as such believe the minister for Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton should reject his visa, given the current crackdown."

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Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider claims Clive Palmer is "ignoring" a cease and desist letter regarding his use of a re-written version of the band's hit track, We're Not Gonna Take It.

Last week the US outfit demanded Palmer stop using their tune in a TV campaign for the United Australia Party, to which Palmer responded by threatening his own lawsuit against the rockers. 

In the TV ad, the lyrics of the chorus have been changed to, "Australia ain't gonna cop it, no Australia's not gonna cop it, Aussies not gonna cop it any more".

Taking to Facebook and Twitter today, Snider claims that lawyers are now "engaged" on the matter. 

"I shouldn’t be surprised by his failure to respond. From what I’ve seen Clive seems to have little understanding of either the truth or the law," Snider's now-deleted Facebook post read. 

"I also note that Clive has yet to respond to my challenge to debate him. To be clear, this is not a debate about Australian politics; I have no place in such a discussion. I want to confront him on theft of services, misuse of creative property and his ‘bull-in-a-china-shop’ approach to copyright laws. If public opinion finds him to be the winner of such a debate I will write Clive an entirely new song for his campaign.

"Which sadly may be the only way to get this scofflaw to stop using my song illegally.

"Meanwhile, I hope Australians will vote against this blowhard and truly keep Australia great, as it always has been."

Earlier this morning the United Australia Party alleged in a tweet that We're Not Gonna Take It is a "rip-off" of the famous Christmas carol, O Come, All Ye Faithful.

The Music has contacted United Australia Party for comment.

Snider is set to kick off a special run of appearances in Australia later this month; click on theGuide or scroll down for more details.