EZRA LEVANT ｜ The best of Avi Yemini： Why we're carrying the torch for press freedom in Australia and New Zealand
Episode Stats
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Summary
Avi Yemini's first day on the job as a reporter at Rebel News in Australia in September of 2014 marks a turning point in his career, when he was arrested at a peaceful protest to mark the centenary of the Anzac Day memorial.
Transcript
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Hello, my friends. I'm making my way back to Canada now after an amazing tour of Australia and New Zealand
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with our Australian Bureau Chief, Avi Yamini, in promotion of his book, A Rebel from the Star.
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I want to remind you of some of the great work that Avi has done, really some of the best work Rebel News has ever published,
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in a compilation of the best of moments from Australia.
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Also, remind you that we have had other reporters here in Australia, including a great team from Brisbane.
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So tune in. And if you can get the video version of this podcast, it's called the Ezra LeVant Show.
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We call it Rebel News Plus. Just go to rebelnewsplus.com. Click subscribe. You get the video version.
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It's only eight bucks a month, which doesn't sound like a lot to you, I'm sure.
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But it's a lot to us because it really adds up when enough people chip in.
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And we need that because we don't take any government money and it shows.
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It's August 29th and this is the Ezra LeVant Show.
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Ezra LeVant here. I am in Melbourne, Australia.
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To this side, the pillar erected by Queen Elizabeth to commemorate the soldiers of Australia,
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the soldiers and the sailors and the airmen who died in the Second World War.
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Behind me, the mighty shrine of remembrance built to commemorate the astounding effort made by the Anzac, Australia and New Zealand soldiers in the First World War.
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It's an enormous place in the heart of the city, as I mentioned to you yesterday.
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And I think it's an appropriate place to talk about freedom because it's the freedom that these men sacrifice their lives to protect.
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That's been the theme of our coverage in Australia ever since we hired Avi Yemini in the early days of the pandemic.
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In fact, as I learned when I was on his book tour these last few days, we hired him, I believe it was on a September 3rd, 2020.
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And at his first event for us, September 5th, he was arrested, not here, but nearby from here at a protest that started here and marched over, slammed to the ground by police and arrested.
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It was to mark a series of events in that vein that would last, well, to this day.
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Here, take a look at that fateful day in September, really his first assignment for us.
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No arrest, no anything. It was quite peaceful until...
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He's like you, he's not here for any purposes or reasons.
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But this guy here is going to be placed under arrest right now.
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Avi's first response to being told he was arrested was to laugh.
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He thought the cop was joking because Avi was standing next to a bunch of other reporters doing nothing wrong.
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The second thing to know is that the police had been targeting Avi for months.
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Whenever he would go to an event, they would arrest him or more likely just take him, throw him in the back of a police van, drive him 20 kilometers away, and let him out on the side of the road so he couldn't get back.
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On the one hand, I can understand, even though I think it's atrocious, the police thought it's a lot easier to rough up this one guy than to stop hundreds of Antifa thugs or to go through the hassle of having someone embarrassing the government with his freedom-oriented reportage.
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But on the other hand, yeah, what they were doing to him was completely illegal.
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And one of the things, as you know, Rebel News does is we stand up for the civil rights of our journalists, and we sued the police on behalf of Avi, and it was a great victory for Avi, for us, and for all Australians when we received this settlement from the police in Victoria State, apologizing to Avi and confirming that, yes, what he was doing was legitimate reporting.
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It was an important moment. Now, the police continued to hassle Avi and even arrested his bodyguard, for which they also later apologized.
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It's been an interesting battle because all we want to do at Rebel News is report, but police and other actors sometimes make us have to fight for the right to report.
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The state we're in is called Victoria. There's another state in Australia called Queensland, both named after the same queen, Queen Victoria.
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There is a kinship between our two countries, and there's a kinship between Avi's style here in Australia and what we do in Canada.
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And I am actually recording this before I'm about to go on a very long journey home.
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And so what I'm going to leave you with today is the best of Avi Yamini and the best of our Australian coverage.
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I'll also show you a couple of videos done by other journalists who were based in Brisbane who've done work for us.
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But mainly I want to show you Avi, the one-man army, standing up for journalistic principles and freedom of speech.
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Are you going to talk about how we were circled and the cops were just picking us out one by one to protest?
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Luke Cornelius said so. Are you going to talk about that tonight?
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Not getting this kind of response when there were less cases of coronavirus today.
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It's like things have escalated this afternoon, as you can probably see and see.
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She wasn't happy with me asking if she's going to report the truth today, because she's obviously
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seen where we got her last time, where we exposed her as the lying, lamestream media
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I got arrested and fired, and then she gives me a two-minute interview, and I just laid into
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her, called out a media organization for just spreading fear and hate and lies.
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Excuse me, are you going to run his, are you going to run it?
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Oh, just imagine how surprised I was to find out that night she didn't run his interview.
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A piece of journalism that probably deserved some airtime.
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What I think that you need to show tonight on Channel 9 is the contrast between the Black
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There were four cases on Black Lives Matter day.
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Four cases on the day that Black Lives Matter had tens of thousands running on the street.
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So, unless Channel 9 tonight runs that footage alongside each other like we will do at Rebel
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Show me your accredited media pass issued by Victoria Police.
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Victoria Police actually told us that they've cancelled...
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So, you're saying if I have an accredited media pass by Victoria Police, I don't have
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to cover my nose and mouth while talking on the microphone?
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What I'm saying is you are not accredited media.
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Victoria Police told us they cancelled the program.
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If I'm not accredited media, please cover your nose and your mouth with a mask.
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So, he's saying here that now I am not accredited media, so that's why, while doing my job...
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You actually do not need a media pass to come to protest.
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Victoria Police said that they're not issuing them anymore.
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You can't pick who the media is in this country.
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So, they're arresting me now here because they say they don't deem me as media because
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Victoria Police is saying, Victoria Police say that they need to issue me with one of their
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And the funny thing is, I'll put on the screen now, Victoria Police Media Department said they've
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They no longer do it, so they're not issuing it.
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So, right now, these thugs, right now, they think this is communist China where they could
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tell you which media is legitimate, which isn't.
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On Friday night at about 8.30pm, police visited my home to hand deliver a letter from the assistant
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commissioner warning me not to attend any lockdown protests the following day.
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Do you mind looking at the list and letting us know?
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I think the public would like to know if you're going to Channel 9 and 10.
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While I was out doing my job, I thought I'd take the opportunity to ask mainstream media
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journalists there if they'd received the same visit.
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I'm part of the communications team, just letting you know this is private property and
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Can I ask you, did Vic Pol visit you last night and warn you not to come here?
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Did they come to your house and warn you not to come?
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Why do you think they come to me and not to you?
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And I just want to double check if they went to the mainstream media.
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She didn't get a visit last night from Victoria Police.
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It's interesting, though, that they came to my house, not yours.
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Is my reporting so much more offensive than hers?
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Honestly, you've never gotten in trouble for featuring in my videos yet.
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So, we're actually looking forward to when he joins Rebel News, and this footage is put
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Well, my officer is still waiting for how much it pays, remember?
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When Victoria Police run out of our state money, tax dollars dry up because business is dead,
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and he loses his job, he's going to be joining us.
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I'm going to ask you, did you catch another angle of his arrest?
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You asked the other operator about me, and he said I wasn't working, so you must have
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I literally just did a point to camera where I said, the best thing for Victoria Police
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No, no, but you're saying you don't like me because I'm a Zionist, but you don't know
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Well, I think I know what it is, but what do you think?
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So, tell me, I know what it is because I am one.
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So, you're calling me one with a negative connotation.
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They haven't done that to Channel 9, Channel 7, Channel 10, SBS, ABC, who are all here
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They've got Daniel on the ground, who is here as our licensed security guard.
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And I told you guys at the time that he was working security.
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So, you realise they arrested my security guard.
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I've made it clear, and he made it clear he was on the job, and you've arrested him while
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I've made it clear that's the one that was in charge.
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So, when this goes to court, it's going to be clear.
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They've been told numerous times that he's on the job.
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So, they violently have arrested my security, who made it clear he was security.
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My government accreditation, also signed off by a Victoria Police Protective
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But as I approached the garden where the rest of the media were waiting for the press conference
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to begin, a different group of PSOs suddenly surrounded and stopped me.
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On a parliament grounds, in the interest of security and good order of parliament.
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In the interest of security and good order of parliament, as an authorised officer under
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the parliamentary precinct act, we're asking you to leave.
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In the interest of security and good order of parliament...
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As an authorised officer under the parliamentary precinct act, in the interest of security...
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You can't shut down media that criticises the government.
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I'm here for the press conference, just like all the other media.
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So, I decided I'll put him on to the lawyer after she reviewed the legislation herself.
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Well, I believe on reasonable grounds that he may disrupt...
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So, on those grounds, I'm exercising my powers as an authorised officer under the parliamentary precincts act.
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In the interest of security, in good order, to ask him to leave.
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But, what are the reasonable grounds that you've based that belief on?
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And that he's also not been invited to these press conferences.
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And, um, the Premier's PA doesn't want him here at the conferences.
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Have you been given a direction yourself to remove him?
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I'm an authorised officer, so I'm giving that direction.
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I don't want to arrest him, nor physically, forcibly remove him, which I have the power to do.
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And where's the boundaries that this, um, journalist can't...
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So, the authorised officers of the parliament is banning a journalist they don't like, the government doesn't like.
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Show me one post that I wrote about her husband.
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Not on that little fundraiser thing that they did.
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I'm showing you here where this is clear fake news.
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On the payroll of a Canadian-based alt-right website.
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Well, but it's also, it justifies why I call you...
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The video you don't have to do with the job the other night.
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I think it's just not on Facebook or YouTube because they got rules around...
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Maybe someone said something anti-COVID in it and they pulled those off.
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It's still got probably a few hundred thousand views.
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I'm the Jewish one and he goes straight for pay.
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I reckon with your experience at protests, we can work something out.
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The place that we have protests for Indigenous rights, for Black Lives Matter, for women's rights.
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And you think you can come onto Flinders Street Steps and interview people.
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I'm not interested in your Australian bullshit, mate.
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The logical crap is about justifying Australia and justifying the project of white Australia.
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These guys aren't allowed to march on Anzac Day, but Black Lives Matter, your people, Black
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Lives Matter, I'll go here so you don't have to be behind them.
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You guys can march 50,000 people for Black Lives Matter, but you will not let vets who fought
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for your freedom to be able to talk the absolute garbage you're speaking right now.
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The garbage you're spewing here on Melbourne Street.
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He's basically sacrificed his entire life for your freedom.
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For your freedom to talk the absolute garbage that you're speaking right now.
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The local Indian restaurant here has teamed up with a friend in Baronia to basically give
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Daniel Andrews an opportunity to stand with their industry.
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What they're saying to Mr. Andrews is by Monday night, announce an opening of their industry
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of either half capacity or in their case, 50 seats to make the business viable, to make
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Daniel Andrews, as a premier, please listen to us.
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You know, I have sent him in so many emails, so many phone calls, never heard anything back
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So this is the second shop, Layla's Kitchen in Baronia, opening on Monday night from 5.30.
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They're taking bookings now because they're saying, just like in Dandenong, Monday night
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they are opening, but they are pleading with Daniel Andrews to get on board.
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We've been literally living off little or no cash flow for so many months.
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And, you know, I request government to use some common sense.
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I hope that I don't have to take any illegal point, but Monday is the time.
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If he doesn't give me the green light, we're going to go ahead.
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Make the changes to the roadmap, what you're offering us.
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But it is the time to open up the state, save the economy.
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Please, please, this is our humble request to you guys.
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It's nothing against government, but please just do that something for us.
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But unlike in my case, an apology was not what Daniel was after.
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He was looking for justice and he got it in the form of six figures.
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Look, as far as the actual settlement goes, I couldn't be happier.
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It indicates that I was in the right, that I have done the right thing.
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And I'm hoping between that and this video that it will help restore my professional reputation
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that I feel was tarnished at the time due to the actions of Victoria Police.
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Rebel viewers at the time, they were outraged because I was being targeted.
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You could see in the video, they purposely passed me and went for you.
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And that outraged our viewers again, who were more than happy, one, to fight your fine,
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and then two, go on the offensive and sue the police, sue the heck out of the police.
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What do you want to say to those supporters that made it happen?
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Your support, Rebel News' support, Rebel News Australia's support,
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I couldn't have done it without the support of the viewers, really,
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who have been the people who have really made this happen.
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Aviamini here for Rebel News in Melbourne, Australia.
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which, within half an hour, we're expecting Pastor Paul for long to finally be released.
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Thanks to every one of you who helped donate his legal defence at SavePastorPaul.com.
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Over two weeks, the pastor has spent in this jail for the alleged crime of inciting church.
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Police came in in the middle of the night, grabbed him and put him in here.
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I know there's thousands of people at home that are looking at you
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and they're looking past that beard you've grown there.
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Yeah, I've never looked so scruffy in 30 years.
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Two and a half, what is it, two and a half weeks in jail?
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and the rest in with the rest of the boys for those last few days.
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I really want to thank everyone that has been praying for me.
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Actually, they got to know me for singing every day.
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I sang hymns and songs for my longest time was two and a half hours.
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so I'll carry the old rugged cross and exchange it one day for a crown.
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I know you're somebody that has not been in jail at all.
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In fact, I was in court today and they were talking about
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all the good deeds you've done, not only in Australia but around the world.
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Well, it was certainly an experience, no doubt about it.
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I think what was amazing and what, in fact, dare I say it,
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was an absolute blessing was the opportunity that God gave me
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and leading them in a prayer to surrender their lives to God.
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Well, the stuff that you're spinning is just...
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Oh, look, I can, but not right here on the spot.
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Well, the way you portray the police in Melbourne to be like out there
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and that people can't even walk around without the police attacking them
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you will see, and that goes back a long, long, long time,
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unnecessarily, you know, what's it called, you know, violent.
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you're saying there haven't been unnecessarily violent in Melbourne?
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where there has been unnecessarily undue violence.
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No, but it's like you emphasise it and you're sort of,
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you shouldn't stop reporting anything that happens, right?
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it looks like it's like a huge problem in Melbourne.
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You should appreciate what we really have here.
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And, you know, the police have to go through a lot of stuff as well,
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they have to say, listen, mate, you need to go back.
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And if they don't, in the end, they have to forcefully do something.
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Well, I don't have to say that, but, you know...
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what I have witnessed is not what you described.
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what I have had done to myself is not what you described.
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I have witnessed them either attack others or myself,
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as a journalist, even being taken to the ground.
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Now, you can say that that's not a normal occurrence.
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you can walk down the street and most cops are not going to deck you.
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And there are a lot of cops that have, you know,
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these extended powers that some of them are abusing
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and are abusing in a fashion that's unacceptable,
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and then we started to take a seat, have some tea.
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Basically, when they asked her for her details,
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and I took off my phone and started filming it.
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Instinct said, I've got to protect my partner, so...
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and then the lady didn't want to give her details,
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I might get a summons for, you know what I mean,
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You're projecting a lot of white privilege onto me.
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It's like obviously what we're trying to fucking...
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This guy is the face of tolerance in Melbourne.
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On behalf of all of us at Rebel News around the world,