Ezra Levant exposes Ontario’s Reopening Ontario Act enforcement double standards: fines of $750–$500 for anti-lockdown protesters like David Menzies, Randy Hillier, and Maxime Bernier—despite 600 attendees flouting rules—while Black Lives Matter protests went unpunished. Nearby Murdoch Mysteries filming later enjoyed COVID exemptions. Meanwhile, Avi Yameni, a journalist barred from New Zealand over a minor fine, claims bureaucratic bias fueled by media smear campaigns targeting critics of Jacinda Ardern’s policies. The episode reveals selective policing and government pressure on dissent, undermining press freedom and public trust in pandemic responses. [Automatically generated summary]
Tonight, yesterday in Peterborough, I fought the law and the law won, but did they really?
It is Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022.
I'm David Menzies, and this is the Ezra Levent Show.
You censorious bug!
Hey, folks, we finally had our day in court in the charming city of Peterborough, Ontario, otherwise known as the municipality where freedom goes to die under the ever-watchful gaze of a potty-mouthed mayor.
I'll cut to the chase.
I was found guilty yesterday of the heinous crime of not social distancing and or masking when we covered a protest at Peterborough's Confederation Park back on April 24th, 2021.
But what my conviction really indicates, I think, is that governments, police forces, and even the courts are politically motivated when it comes to those who dare stand up for their charter rights, such as freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and yes, even freedom of the press.
Freedom, to some, is the new F-word, after all.
By way of background, Rebel News decided to attend the Peterborough anti-lockdown rally that day, given that two notable speakers would also be attending, namely Randy Hillier, the Ontario PC MPP who was thrown out of caucus for raising impolite topics at Queen's Park, and Maxine Bernier, the leader of the People's Party of Canada.
An estimated 600 people attended the rally at Confederation Park, which made for the largest anti-lockdown protest to occur in Peterborough.
Almost everyone in attendance chose not to wear masks, which we know are about as useful in preventing the spread of COVID as the various COVID-19 vaccines are, which is to say, not very useful at all.
As well, since Confederation Park is less than three acres in size, it should be noted that it was impossible for a crowd of some 600 people to socially distance, even if they had wanted to.
Now, prior to the event, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therion rolled out the welcome wagon for the demonstrators.
No, that's not true.
If there is a welcome wagon in Peterborough, it's in the hands of the repo man these days.
Indeed, here's what Mayor Therion tweeted back then, quote, as a decent person, if I think my actions might harm others, I reconsider those actions.
These clowns don't GAF about your well-being, and if you're upset about my unprofessional language, but not upset about endangering others, well, GFY, end quote.
Oh, such diplomacy from such a decent person.
Now, at first it looked like the esteemed members of the Peterborough Police Service would allow the protest to carry on unmolested.
You know, just like Black Lives Matter protesters had free reign of the park during the previous summer.
They were allowed to protest without a permit.
And when it came to the coppers, not only did they put away their ticket books, but they bent the knee in solidarity with the demonstrators.
We're told to follow the science when it comes to COVID-19, folks.
So I believe the science states that the coronavirus respects Marxist BLM protesters, but it absolutely loathes anti-lockdown pro-freedom demonstrators.
I don't know if that is based on medical science or weird science.
Now, as I mentioned at first blush, it looked like the Peterborough police were going to do the right thing, which would be to simply observe the demonstration.
But that changed when Mr. Bernier and Mr. Hillier left the stage and walked through the park.
That's because the police decided to cause an unnecessary scene by ticketing them.
Check it out.
No, no, no, no.
It's not going to help go back and do your speech.
Through you.
Don't be lying to me.
Don't be lying to me.
Get the back up.
Nobody should fear government in a free country.
Why are you not going to go that way?
Because it's a public.
Because your friend is a public power.
That's right.
It's a public park.
Will they make their kids live in the gulag of fear that they're instilling or trying to?
Will they?
Or will they have a backbone?
Will they have some gumption?
Will they have principles?
Will they have any conviction to their oath of office?
I, the only one in society...
Show me your papers.
We don't want that.
How are they going to do that?
They're trying to intimidate us.
Barricading the roads, trying to block people from coming in and showing their opposition to this de facto police state that Ontario is in.
Now, this was a completely needless act of provocation.
After all, the cops could have later served Bernier and Hillier with a summons after the fact at their home residences.
This is not speculation, folks.
This is a fact.
And Exhibit A is yours truly.
Because several days after this demonstration, I was served with a summons at my Richmond Hill residence.
Check it out.
Yeah, I'm going to give him his court documents.
His court documents.
Yeah.
Oh.
Yeah, so he missed his other appointment, but they're being pretty flexible because of COVID-19.
So how do you spell your first name?
My first name?
Yes.
L-O-R-Y-N.
L-O-R-Y-N.
Yeah.
My same last name?
Yep.
Menzies.
And what court appearance is this for?
It's for his failed compliance.
A failed compliance.
In the court case there.
All right.
All right.
Have a nice date.
By the way, the summons I received simply stated that I was being charged under section 7.0.2 of the laughably named Reopening Ontario Act.
But the summons didn't say what specifically I was being charged with.
After all, I was not the event's organizer, nor a speaker, nor even an attendee.
I was just covering this peaceful protest as a journalist.
I don't think the practice of journalism is illegal in our Great Dominion.
Well, at least not yet.
But get this, folks, in June 2021, I took delivery of the disclosure that the Peterborough Police Service was planning to present in court against me.
Finally, I was informed of the crimes against humanity I had allegedly committed in Peterborough back on April 24th, 2021.
Which is to say, I shook hands with people?
Yes, thanks to a telephoto lens that a photographer with the cops had, they were able to provide photographic evidence of that crime.
As for the written disclosure, check out these excerpts.
Quote, at 1247 hours, Staff Sergeant Dan McLean made note and observed Menzies approach and greet Mr. Maxime Bernier by shaking Mr. Bernier's hand.
The two stood next to each other and engaged in a conversation.
Neither person was wearing a mask or maintaining the required two meters physical distancing.
After a short conversation, Menzies could be seen interviewing Mr. Bernier on the grass just off the stage area, end quote.
Oh, merciful God in heaven.
You mean I greeted someone in the time-honored way of, you know, shaking hands, and then I carried out my job duties by, you know, interviewing a politician.
Gee, I suppose I should be grateful that no Peterborough cop decided to taser me that day.
Later, it is noted that the eagle-eyed Staff Sergeant McClain observed the following, quote, at one point, Menzies stood behind Mr. Randy Hillier and wrapped his arm around and over Mr. Hillier's left shoulder in an effort to record the conversation that was occurring.
Mr. Menzies was so close to Mr. Hillier.
At times he made contact with Mr. Hillier, end quote.
Wow, I made contact.
And yet me and Mr. Hillier are still amongst the living.
Fascinating.
Oh, I committed several other handshaking offenses, all of them catalogued in excruciating detail.
Here goes, quote, shaking the hand of a man in a blue and white baseball hat and dark hoodie, end quote.
Quote, shaking hands with a female in dark brown pants, turtleneck sweater, purse over her left shoulder, end quote.
Quote, shaking hands with a male in black baseball cap, enough is enough t-shirt, end quote.
Guilty as charged, folks.
But wait a second, folks.
You see, I committed another crime that day in addition to all that illicit handshaking.
Here's the allegation.
Quote, one photo shows Menzies and Mr. Hillier standing next to each other.
Both are laughing, end quote.
Oh my God.
I laughed on that day.
Gee, what was I laughing about?
I really can't remember.
But in the eyes of the Peterborough Police Service, laughing presumably makes someone a super spreader of the Wuhan flu.
Or maybe they associate laughter with criminal behavior.
You know, I did some research, folks, and I found there is indeed ample evidence that those who laugh aren't just mere run-of-the-mill criminals, but they are actually super villains.
Check out the video evidence.
Make those messages clear!
those messages clear.
In any event, I finally had my day in court yesterday.
Also on trial was Neil Sheard, the organizer of last April's Rolling Thunder event in Ottawa that was supposed to honor veterans.
Obviously, Neil is a deplorable, despite being a decorated war veteran himself.
Also on trial was Peterborough Senior Nikolai Onik.
I think he ruffled the feathers of the Peterborough elites by brandishing a sign that read, quote, God wins every time, end quote.
Obviously, Mr. Onak is one of those crazed religious zealots.
We were all collectively represented by a legal team, dream team, comprised of Jenna Little, Frank Alfano, and Victoria Solomon.
Now, during the proceedings, we learned some fascinating things, especially via the testimony of Staff Sergeant Stedanko, or I mean Staff Sergeant McClain.
For starters, the Peterborough police prior to the April 24 protest had amassed a persons of interest file regarding attendees who planned on visiting Peterborough that Saturday afternoon.
It was well publicized, of course, that Bernier and Hillier would be there, and the police knew that these high-profile speakers would indeed draw a big crowd.
But the police were also tipped off by so-called sources that I would be there too.
I'm not sure how they got this information, as we don't tend to publicize what events we're covering in advance.
Also, it was noted that they were even provided with a photograph of me so that all the police officers on duty would know exactly who to look for once Rebel News showed up.
By the way, when McClain was asked by our lawyer, Jenna Little if there were photographs of other members of the media covering the event passed around to the constables, the answer was no.
Gee, I wonder why that would be.
I know for certain Global News was there, as was the Peterborough Examiner.
Maybe those media outlets were not part of the police briefing because they are state-funded and state-approved press, whereas Rebel News is crowdfunded and independent.
My defense for not socially distancing was that this was next to impossible to achieve in a confined area where there were hundreds and hundreds of demonstrators.
Even if I had stood two meters away from my interview subjects, that space would quickly be filled by members of what was a very fluid gathering, especially when Bernier and Hillier were being confronted and ticketed by the police.
As for my sin of not wearing a mask, I testified that this would hinder my job, which is to say, I didn't want my mouth covered by a face diaper when it came to asking questions in what was a very loud environment.
But the Crown and eventually the judge, they just didn't buy my arguments.
When it came to sentencing, the Crown suggested fines of $2,000 per defendant.
Wow, talk about Christmas in August.
After all, the Crown could have suggested fines of up to $100,000 per person.
Yes, that's the maximum penalty.
Fines and Frustration00:09:44
Well, the judge reckoned $750 was a reasonable amount for me.
As for Mr. Sheared and Mr. Ocan, their fines were reduced to $500 as they are both pensioners.
It should be noted that the judge thanked Mr. Sheared for his service to Canada during his deployment in Afghanistan.
Oh, he still fined him, though.
After the proceeding, I interviewed our lawyers outside the Peterborough Courthouse.
Here's what they had to say.
Likely, I think their position is going to be that it was a resources problem, but really from the evidence we know that they focused on the three individuals we heard about today.
You know, the Fiercy movie, The Trial of the Chicago 7, today I felt like we were defending the trial of the Peterborough 3.
Indeed.
And Jenna, what did you make of the proceedings?
You know, one thing that kind of rose a kind of raised a red flag for me, Jenna, was the fact that Staff Sergeant McClain said that in advance of us covering the demonstration, they knew we were coming.
They had a photo of me as, I guess, a person of interest.
Gee, what's that all about?
I think it's exactly what you think it's about.
I think they were looking into who was planning on attending the rally.
I think they were sizing them up and they were thinking of how many resources they needed to allocate to that particular protest.
So in other words, despite what they're saying, this was not a personal safety issue or a community safety issue.
This was all about, I don't know, it seems politicized to me.
It very well may have been.
It's hard to get that out in court.
It's hard to get police officers to answer that question, if that's the way we want to lean.
And I think it might have also been a little bit about public safety because sometimes protests get out of control.
And as we heard, when one officer gave somebody, was it, Maxime, when one officer gave Maxime a ticket in front of 80 to 100 different protesters, that was directly against what the inspector told them to do.
So he specifically gave out a ticket in front of people to cause a problem.
You know, there's that great moment where Maxime Bernier was arrested going from Ontario into Manitoba.
And as he's been handcuffed and put into an RCMP cruiser, the officer says, do you have any weapons?
And Maxime Bernier says, words to the effect, no, unless you consider my words, my thoughts weapon.
And I guess that's where we're headed in Canada, it seems these days, Jenna.
I certainly hope not.
And I think that, using the guise of the COVID restrictions to implement that is very scary.
Indeed.
And now, Victoria, you were hoping it didn't come to fruition, but to come up with a constitutional challenge to these charges that I was under.
And there was also two other individuals that I'll get to later that were on trial as well.
What were you planning on saying if you were going to go down the constitutional route?
Well, unfortunately, we were not able to argue this constitutional arguments, which we planned in this case, but We will definitely bring them forward on other facts and we have a lot of other defendants that may benefit from this defense.
So I'm going to, you know, to save the details for the future when those cases will be argued.
So folks, post-trial, here are some of my personal observations.
First, the judge who presided over the trial is a former journalist himself with a career spanning more than 20 years.
I naively thought that would be to our advantage, that he would have some empathy regarding what it takes for a journalist to cover breaking news out in the field, and that he would be a true believer when it came to that whole idea of freedom of the press.
But no.
Secondly, curiously, no one seemed to have a problem with the double standard that prevails in Peterborough.
I previously mentioned that BLM protesters received a pass when it came to getting fines, but get this, just a few months after the April 24th, 2021 demonstration, a CBC production being filmed in Peterborough was taking place.
And lo and behold, folks, the cast and staffers of the Murdoch Mysteries episode being shot were exempt from the masking and social distancing rules.
Oh, and yes, we caught cast members shaking hands and even Gasp laughing.
But of course, no charges for them.
Check it out.
I think it's my duty as a citizen to report a potential super spreader event.
In other words, people handshaking and laughing on the set of Murdoch Mysteries.
I can't service you with no mask on.
Oh, what was that, sir?
Sorry.
Service with no mask on.
Oh, okay.
The royal wave there.
Murder idea, what you're talking about.
I have no idea.
You know, you know, when people laugh, sir, or they shake hands when they're greeting.
Oh, idea, what are you talking about?
You've never heard of that?
Does the virus know?
It's a different state, please.
Oh, are you really that afraid?
Yeah, because we're in a pandemic right now.
Oh, okay, good.
That's right, because I'm in the mask-off area.
I think I saw two people giggling.
Yes, hi, as for police, please.
We have spotted people laughing and shaking hands.
Why is that a race photo, Johnny?
Oh, why is that?
Because I didn't give you permission.
Do you know basic laws?
Yeah, we don't need permission in a public place.
All right, you'll be hearing from me in Tecumseh.
Okay, I'm sorry I triggered you.
Don't video me.
My name is Happiness.
Okay.
I'm big COVID.
And also.
Your happiness?
Yes, I'm the COVID guy.
We saw people handshaking and laughing.
And we're just wondering, I believe that's against the law in Peterborough.
Oh, yes.
Hi, Staff Sergeant McClain.
What does it feel like to be named Canada's worst police officer, sir?
Also, it should be noted that in his testimony, Staff Sergeant McLean said that there were about 600 people in Confederation Park on that day, the vast majority of whom were not obeying the social distancing and masking rules.
Yet only 10 to 12 people received tickets.
How is it possible that of those 10 to 12 people who were ticketed, that a significant percentage just happened to be high-profile targets, i.e. Bernier, Hillier, Sheered, and yes, Rebel News?
That was not random chance.
After all, the odds of this organically occurring would make even the most reckless gambler cringe.
Rather, this was a political witch hunt.
The unspoken strategy was this.
The authorities were sending a clear message to anti-lockdown big mouths and independent media reporters that if you speak negatively of lockdown measures, you will be punished.
Shameful.
Another observation, the idea of law-abiding citizens standing up for their rights at the April 24, 2021 protest attracted a disproportionate amount of police.
McLean testified that more than 30 police officers were on duty that day, even though it was an entirely peaceful gathering.
Oh, and if you think there was nothing better for the constables to do on that Saturday, think again, folks.
Check out this Peterborough Examiner story from June.
It is headlined, quote, acting Peterborough Police Chief Wants to Keep Up with Surge in Calls, end quote.
The lead sentence states, quote, city police are so short-staffed, they can't keep up with surging calls for service, said acting chief Tim Farkinson, end quote.
Yeah, so as Peterborough tries to cope with a surge in offenses ranging from sexual assaults to homicides, the police force clearly lacks the resources to tackle real crime.
But when it comes to thought crimes, well, it's a matter of all hands on deck.
Oh, and if you want more proof of the heap and helping of hypocrisy on display that day, then check this out.
The photographer for the Peterborough Examiner recently won an award for best spot news photograph.
Yes, photographer Clifford Skarstedt won the 2021 Ontario Newspaper Award for spot news photography in papers under 25,000 circulation.
His photo depicts Randy Hillier in full-out Lord Tundran Jesus mode as he goes toe-to-toe with Peterborough's soy boy police chief, that would be Scott Gilbert, who, by the way, abruptly resigned in February of this year for reasons that remain mysterious.
Now, here's what the judges at the Ontario Newspaper Association had to say.
Quote, when Gilbert waded into the heart of an anti-lockdown protest and gave Hillier a ticket under the Reopening Ontario Act, Skarsted conceptualized the shot perfectly.
Gilbert and Hillier at the tense epicenter of the scene, surrounded by phone-wielding onlookers.
The result is Canada's COVID schism in miniature.
We see it in Gilbert's weary eyes above his mask, as well as Hillier's pointed finger and open-mouth mid-rant.
Skarsted is tight on the action in this quintessential breaking news photograph where the main actors stand in for so many others.
End quote.
Now, full disclosure, it is indeed a fantastic photograph, no doubt about that, folks.
But I can tell you that during this photo shoot, I had a ringside seat.
If Scarsted had been using a fisheye lens, you would have seen me and my cameraman, Mocha, filming nearby.
But here's the thing.
How is it that a member of a taxpayer-funded and government-approved mainstream media outlet receives an award and glowing praise and presumably a cash prize, whereas I received a summons and a fine of $750, even though I was doing the exact same thing in the exact same place at the exact same time, namely covering spot news.
Fascinating.
Bottom line, perhaps you can score the Monday trial as a legal loss for us.
Hey, you win some, you lose some.
But I truly think that in the Department of Unintended Consequences, this trial made for a journalistic win for us.
Thanks to their prosecution of Rebel News and others, we have clearly exposed that the people running the city of Peterborough and the Peterborough Police Service and even the courts embrace a hypocritical double standard.
Is it any wonder that hundreds of people last April took to the streets in Peterborough?
After all, thanks to that so-called Ontario Reopening Act, many of these folks had lost their jobs.
Many had lost their businesses.
Not that the powers that be give a rodent's rectum, mind you.
They have never missed a paycheck as they continually crooned, we're all in this together.
So my advice to the freedom-loving people of Peterborough and abroad, when the lockdowns inevitably return, and I'm betting on flu season, and you want to go out and protest again about this affront, make sure you wear t-shirts emblazoned with the initials B, L, and M. Trust me, nobody in law enforcement is going to bother you.
Entry Level Conflict00:15:10
In fact, they might even join in on the festivities.
Talk about deja vu all over again.
Bad deja vu, that is.
Once again, a rebel news journalist has apparently been cross-checked by a government official when it comes to practicing journalism.
Just the other day, our wonder down under, that would be Avi Yameni, meant to get on a plane and fly from Australia to Wellington, New Zealand.
Abby wanted to cover the protests that are happening in New Zealand right now regarding the lockdowns.
But shockingly, even though Mr. Yameni had a valid passport and all of his paperwork was in order, he was prevented from getting on board that plane.
And in the aftermath, the question arises, why?
And joining me now from the land of Oz is Avi Yamini himself.
Good day, Abby.
How you doing there, my friend?
Good morning, mate.
How you doing?
I'm doing great.
Well, you know, not so great.
It pained me to see what was happening with you trying to get over to New Zealand.
And Avi, just rewind the tape here.
Take us back to the other day when you were hoping to fly into Wellington, only to be told that you were essentially persona non grata for some reason.
What happened, my friend?
Look, I think you even need to rewind, you know, a couple days earlier where one of the largest news outlets in New Zealand ran a smear campaign against myself and Rook Shan, who was also flying with us on a later flight as part of the nzreports.com to cover the protests and to cover generally what's happening in New Zealand.
You've got to remember, New Zealand's been cut off from the rest of the world for two years now.
So this was a very important trip.
And a couple of days before our flight, the New Zealand Herald, which is one of the largest news outlets in the country, ran a smear campaign encouraging the government to ban us.
At the time, I thought, oh, well, you know, we decided to just get legal advice and make sure all of our affairs are in order and that we are fine to travel.
And the advice was, absolutely, you are.
And so as soon as I arrived at check-in here in Australia in Melbourne and it came to the computer, the staff, you know, looked a bit confused as my passport, I was leaving first, my passport was flagged not on the Australian side, on the New Zealand side, which caused them to call the New Zealand immigration to ask them what's going on.
New Zealand immigration gave me about a 45-minute, I'm guessing, interview over the phone.
I was nice and early, gave me a 45-minute interview over the phone, which was all like typical questions that you would expect from any sort of immigration interview.
Until suddenly, after asking me how much money I have in my account and making sure I'm not going to move there, even though, to be fair, I was thinking it is a bit odd because as Australians, you actually have the right, I think, to become a New Zealand resident immediately.
But I just thought they were ticking some boxes, and they certainly were ticking those boxes, but they were ticking those boxes to be able to get to their final point.
And their final point was, oh, Mr. Yamini, I've just read an article online about you.
I'm assuming it was that article that had just come out from the New Zealand Herald a couple of days ago, encouraging the government to ban me.
And they said, I deem you of not good character and therefore exercising my power under the Immigration Act 97, section 97 of the Immigration Act of 2009 in banning you, refusing you entry today to New Zealand.
She was citing that I have a conviction now, which is true.
I'm not hiding that I have a conviction.
The thing is that to be able to exercise that power, for a conviction to stop you from entering as an Australian to New Zealand, there's a certain threshold.
And that threshold was what we received advice on because that was obviously one of the things that the media was trying to use to encourage the government to ban us, just an excuse to stop us.
You know, it was completely politically motivated.
And the threshold is that you've got to have been in jail for at least 12 months in the last 10 years for that conviction.
Well, minor conviction, it carried a fine.
It was the most basic entry-level conviction you can get.
So there was no real grounds.
There was no lawful grounds in using that conviction to stop it from entering to cover the protests.
So the most startling thing I think you said there was the fact that this bureaucrat that is vetting you seems to be taking her cues from the mainstream media in New Zealand.
And I've looked at some of the mainstream media coverage.
I would say it's egregious, bordering on defamatory.
The New Zealand Herald, they described you as, quote, an infamous Australian far-right misinformation super spreader, end quote.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but this to me is startling, Avi.
Why is a government official taking her cues from what she reads in the media?
And does she assume that everything in the media is indeed factual?
Yeah, look, I think it's even worse than that.
I think if you take their word for it based on the conversation she had with me, by the way, this immigration official refused to give her name or refused to put in writing, in writing, refused to put in writing the reason because they know that as soon as they put it in writing, I can go to the courts and appeal.
And we've had lawyers on the ground there fighting for my appeal to turn this unlawful decision over since the minute I was refused.
But they've only got back to started communicating with us last night, Australia time.
But the entire time since then, they've been giving statements to the press.
Sorry, that's my dog.
Completely false statements to the press.
My dog is angry about this.
She calls out fake news when she hears it.
But seriously, so they have a very, you know, unhealthy, to say the least, relationship between the government of New Zealand and the press.
And that explains everything here, because obviously they don't want me there.
I am their biggest threat to both those groups that are in cahoots.
Because the last thing the mainstream media want there is competition, somebody who's going to take away firstly the eyeballs from their garbage and make people think in New Zealand, maybe we're not being told the complete story.
Here's somebody telling the other side of the story from the ground.
So certainly the media have a reason to really be behind the push.
And the government, the Adern government, certainly have a reason.
So I think, yes, they're taking cues from each other.
They're helping each other.
They're in this together.
And when Sarah, the immigration officer, refused to give her last name, it became really clear.
Somebody was nudging her.
Okay, we need to stop this guy from coming.
Just exercise whatever power, even if it's unlawful, because the proof will be in the pudding.
I keep saying this.
At the end of the day, I will get to New Zealand.
I will prove all those headlines to be false.
I will tell the other side of the story there.
I will give those people who have for the last two years been stopped from being allowed to have their say.
I'm going to give them that platform that the entire, you know, the entire establishment have worked so hard in New Zealand to suppress.
We're going to succeed.
And the fact that I'm going to get there proves that this was all politically motivated and just to stop me from going to that project.
And I promise you now, and I promise the audience that it will backfire.
And I'm appreciative to everyone that signed that petition at savearvumini.com and everybody that's donated to the legal fund.
We're fighting and we're going to win this fight.
This is not a question as to if we're absolutely, I'm an Australian citizen who comes nowhere near the threshold of being allowed to be banned from New Zealand.
The only time you have to apply for a visa from Australia, or one of the reasons in my situation, would be if you're actually a criminal with a criminal history that you've served more than 12 months in jail.
Nowhere near the threshold.
Yeah, so as you said, Abby, that benchmark hasn't been met.
And it sounds to me like the relationship between the government and the mainstream media in New Zealand, it's a mere reflection of what we have in Canada.
It's basically the same.
In fact, I don't know what the funding mechanism is in New Zealand, but as you know, in Canada, the CBC and the rest of the mainstream media are funded to the tune of billions of dollars per year.
It's a blatant conflict of interest.
But on the topic of the-I do believe it's similar, at least per capita.
So it might not be the same numbers, but it's certainly highly funded by the Adern government.
Well, then you don't bite the hand that feeds, that's for sure.
But speaking of the government in New Zealand, Abby, the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, she was questioned about this at a scrum.
Let's throw to that video and see what the Prime Minister had to say.
There's also been a YouTuber from Australia that has been, says that they've been denied entry into New Zealand.
Have you been briefed on this situation?
I've only what I have seen in the public domain.
And just to be absolutely clear, this is not something that, as I understand, would come up to a ministerial level decision.
I understand that it is solely for immigration and it's not something I had any awareness of until I saw some commentary online.
Yeah.
How concerned is the government at the potential for people coming from overseas to be part of these protests?
How concerned is the government that people might come from overseas to join these protests?
Again, for us, it's not about where people have come from.
It's simply whether they're willing to engage in peaceful and lawful protest.
Okay, so Abby, the Prime Minister is claiming that she only knows about your situation based on what's in the public domain.
Are you buying that?
Look, maybe, but I ain't taking her word for it.
That's for sure.
Maybe she doesn't know.
But look, she has an army of, you know, people that do her dirty work.
So she doesn't necessarily, you know, I think there's certainly consensus amongst the Adern government and bureaucrats that Avi Yamini is a threat.
So I don't think it would have had to go to her level to ask her whether we should ban him.
But what she is saying that is interesting, that it's not a ministerial decision.
It hasn't gone to that level.
And why that is important for people to understand is because there's two ways to ban, to refuse an Aussie entry.
One is the conviction has to be over 12 months in prison.
The other is if a minister, the minister, uses a broad power, which you could still appeal, but it's much broader than just the threshold of the conviction.
So if the minister can say, I believe that Avi Yamini might commit a jailable offence here, then we're talking about a case where, well, then we can argue on what basis.
But it is a much broader term and there's a much broader scope from, and she's saying in there, well, no, it hasn't gone to that level.
It's just immigration distancing herself from the decision because obviously it is not a good look if the government had a hand in it.
So, Abby, let's then, for the sake of argument, take the prime minister at her word.
She had nothing to do with this.
It's not at the ministerial level.
The only other conclusion I can draw from that is that this individual immigration officer, whose name we only have as Sarah, we don't have her surname, I got a hunch that she recognizes your name.
Maybe she's not politically aligned to your viewpoints and she's carrying out a vendetta because what else can it be, my friend?
Like I said in the beginning, David, I think it's potentially even something like I think it's much more sinister.
I think it's much more deep.
I think it's a connection.
And, you know, there we go.
The big conspiracy theorist that I am.
I'm proving the New Zealand Herald right.
But, you know, when and if this actually ends up going before a judge, if they don't, if they don't revert, change the decision, appeal the decision on their own, if it has to go in front of a judge.
It'll be interesting, one, to see all the communications in Discovery.
Two, it'll be great for people to hear that recording of, especially the last few minutes of the recording, of the immigration officer who said on the call, I just read an article about you.
Since when are articles in the paper grounds and since when is that evidence that you rely on to make any decision?
Counter-Protest by Antifa00:03:11
They didn't, by the way, they didn't ask me anything about my criminal history.
They didn't give me an opportunity to put my in my defense, to put my defense forward, as in going, I did say specifically, I said to her, I understand that the threshold is 12 months.
And my I mean, here's the perversely ironic factor of this story.
I think, yes, they prevented you from leaving Australia and touching down in Wellington, but they didn't prevent Rochan Fernando.
He was flagged.
He went through all the hoops.
They eventually led him there.
So he is reporting for Rebel News.
He is showing what's going on.
And why don't we throw to a brief clip of the demonstration that he covered the other day?
Check it out.
So guys, I'm filming here the counter-protest here by Antifa.
So the two protesters are going.
The main protest is walking past.
But there is a counter-protest separated here by the police.
Mother Mooney's a bear.
Oh!
Conservative!
In the anti-government protests, there's a lot more diversity, a lot more older people, families, people of different backgrounds.
There's a lot more of that.
Whereas on this side, a lot of young, and for lack of a better word, white people mostly.
Looks like young, young uni students.
So, there you go.
First of all, Avi, I'm so sorry to see that the virus that is known as Antifa has even infected New Zealand.
But what did you make of that protest and that bizarre counter-protest when the antifa types were denouncing the anti-lockdown people as racist?
And as Mr. Fernando pointed out, there was more diversity on the anti-lockdown side than the antifa side.
What do you make of that, Abby?
Isn't that typical?
Yeah, absolutely.
And I'm looking forward to seeing Rukshan's full reports on the day, which I imagine are coming to New Zealand, nzreports.com in coming days.
But absolutely, it's laughable.
It's laughable.
You know what?
I watched it with FOMO because I'm thinking, God, you know me, David, I would love to get up in there and have a chat with these anti-fascists that are standing there protesting, you know, Indigenous New Zealanders telling them they're racist because they don't like mandates and they don't like Jacinda Ardern's socialist policies that is destroying the country.
Why Convictions Matter00:07:51
They don't like where the cost of living is going.
They don't like the fact that they lost their jobs because Jacinda Adern is a tyrant.
Yes, I would have loved to be there.
And I think it's great.
And, you know, also, I think on the point that Rukshan got there, it's important for people to understand while Rukshan doesn't have that technicality of a conviction that they can kind of try twist to use, at least in the short term.
But they tried really hard.
He was flagged.
And the Qantas staff fought hard for him, he says.
And I do truly believe that if not for, firstly, the thousands, you know, the thousands that have already signed the petition to let me in.
And then also the fact that they know that there's legal action looming, again, through the saveaviumini.com page.
So the petition there and the fact that we're appealing it through the courts if we have to.
And the fact that Jacinda Ardern herself distanced herself so quickly from the decision.
I think those three compounding points basically made the officer on the other end of Rookshan's decision think twice and go, okay, we don't have a conviction that we can puff up and basically use and act like we think on the face of it is a character thing that we can kick him out.
So they had to let him in and they led him in.
And he still reported on the event.
And I promise you now, to the entire audience, my promise to you is I'm grateful.
New Zealand's very close.
So when I win that appeal, when I can take my passport and get in there, I will be in there.
I will tell the other side of the story.
NZReports.com will get more views and there will be more interest in it because of this media smear campaign and this not Not just a smear camera, the media campaign to have me banned.
It will only draw more eyeballs to it.
And this will backfire spectacularly.
I'm not going to deny it.
It hurt the last couple of days.
It hurt to get banned off a flight.
It hurt that the immigration department is so good at their PR that they managed to manipulate a media not to even ask the question of, okay, you say he's banned for a conviction.
Instead of asking, well, how could he be banned for that conviction?
That wasn't 10, he wasn't in, he wasn't jailed for.
He was only fined for.
How can you ban him for that when the act is pretty clear?
Instead of them doing that, they ran with a hurtful headline, Avi Yamini banned for, you know, an embarrassing conviction.
But that's what it is.
It's an embarrassing conviction because, you know, time will tell all truth.
But it's embarrassing having a conviction like that.
It's not something I'm proud of, but it's certainly a minor conviction.
I was fined for it because it was considered from the legal perspective a minor assault.
No, and to speak to your first point, Avi, I think you're right.
I think the government of New Zealand or and certainly the media in New Zealand are going to experience their own Barbara Streisand effect, you know, that of unintended consequences.
And we have to fight this, Avi, because this is becoming too du regueur for my liking.
This idea that government officials and bureaucrats, they're picking and choosing which journalists are allowed into the press conference and which are not, which get funded, which are not.
It is a dark direction we're going down in terms of a free press.
And that is why we have to take this stand.
I'm so happy to see we already have about 14,000 signatures on the petition, Avi.
Our goal is, I believe, 20,000.
I'm sure we're going to reach it and more.
Avi, I want to thank you so much for your time and good luck.
We are indeed, we're going to get you into Wellington and come hell or high water.
It is important.
So thank you again, my friend.
You have a good weekend.
Thanks, David.
Okay.
And that was Avi Yamini down under in Australia.
Keep it here, folks.
More of the Ezra Levent show to come right after this.
Well, folks, my colleague Sheila Gunn-Reed, she filled in for Ezra on last night's show and lots of responses regarding her monologue regarding Canada's complete ineptitude in handling the so-called COVID-19 crisis.
Canuck One writes, is Tam going to pull a Fauci and resign just after Polyev defeats Trudeau in the next election?
I guess he, she will seek asylum in the motherland.
You know what?
It's good that you're reaching out, Canuck One, to be politically correct.
Teresa Tam, after all, is one of those woke bureaucrats that uses the term pregnant people when she's actually describing pregnant women.
She is a disgrace from top to bottom, just like Dr. Fauci.
GGFD writes, time for the Nuremberg Canada trials.
Millions of folks aren't willing to just let this go.
Time for trials and convictions.
You know, I don't know if we're ever going to see those kind of trials, my friend, but I can tell you this, when history looks back upon this appalling period of time, so many people ranging from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Dr. Teresa Tam to, yes, even you, Premier Doug Ford, you're going to be looked upon in a downright shameful fashion, and you deserve it.
Well, folks, that takes care of tonight's edition of the Ezra Levant Show.
I believe Ezra is going to be back in this chair tomorrow.
Have yourself a wonderful evening and hey, never forget, stay sane.
We started off this convoy calling it taking back our freedoms.
But our freedoms are nobody's to take away.
So we're going to restore everybody's freedoms.
Lots of people came here wanting to only do a day.
And the word with all the truckers is they're now staying for many days.
You know, like a lot of people now are planning on days and days in Ottawa.