Avi Yemini - A Rebel From the Start: Setting the Record Straight

Show notes and Transcript

Avi Yemini is an Aussie dynamo. He brought his energy and determination to speak truth to the world, first through TR news and now heads up Rebel News Australia as the Chief Oz correspondent. He joins us to discuss his newly published autobiography "A Rebel From The Start: Setting The Record Straight". 
Working with Tommy Robinson and then with Ezra Levant has made him a target for the legacy media and political authorities, a lot has been written about Avi and the establishment have sought to neutralise him by demonising him. 
None of this has worked and in this book he tells his story for the first time. 
This is Avi as you have not seen or heard him before, giving the other side to the media's lies.

Avi Yemini is the Australia Bureau Chief for Rebel News. He's a former Israeli Defence Force marksman turned citizen journalist. Avi's most known for getting amongst the action and asking the tough questions in a way that brings a smile to your face.

A Rebel From The Start
Avi Yemini: Setting the Record Straight
Available in paperback or e-book from... https://www.rebelfromthestart.com/ and Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rebel-Start-Setting-Record-Straight/dp/B0C91KG18N/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=avi+yemeni&sr=8-1 

Connect with Avi...
X:                   https://twitter.com/OzraeliAvi
GETTR:         https://www.gettr.com/user/ozraeliavi
TELEGRAM:  https://t.me/AviYeminiOfficial
Instagram:    https://www.instagram.com/ozraeliaviyemini/
Rebel News: https://www.rebelnews.com/

Interview recorded 20.7.23

*Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast.

Check out his art https://theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com/ and follow him on GETTR https://gettr.com/user/BoschFawstin and Twitter https://twitter.com/TheBoschFawstin?s=20 

To sign up for our weekly email, find our social media, podcasts, video, livestreaming platforms and more... https://heartsofoak.org/connect/

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Transcript

(Hearts of Oak)

Hello Hearts of Oak and welcome to another interview with Avi Yemini joining us once again and we're looking at his book A Rebel From the Start. Avi Yemini setting the record straight and there is a lot to set straight. He has been in the target hairs of the media, of the government, of the legal system and we obviously go into his background, big family, troubled difficult background and how he pulled his life together partially through the military and joining the Israeli military and how that really made him. And then on the journalism side, obviously working with Tommy and then working with Rebel, with Ezra, and how he's been a voice of reason during the COVID tyranny. He's been my go-to source certainly for Australian issues and he has been fearless.
He has faced punishment for that. We look in the legal battles that he's faced, not only the media attacking his family and how he's had to defend them and fight for his kids.
But also how he has gone through the courts and got the Victorian authorities to issue an apology for how they treated him as he was reporting on the news.
Lots. I know you love listening to Avi, who is a little Aussie dynamo.

Avi Yemini, it is wonderful to have you back with us again. Thanks so much for joining us today.

(Avi Yemini)

Thanks for having me, mate.

Not at all. It's been ages but obviously you have a book out which is telling your story.
A rebel from the start, Avi Yemini setting the record straight and a lot's been written about you. You've been the target of many attacks and there's a lot to set straight. It is available in the UK. It is available anywhere on the website but also directly on Amazon.
Those are your handles on Twitter and rebelfromthestart.com you can buy directly there or as I said on Amazon or anywhere else. Avi, first of all can I ask you why you put pen to paper. You're busy, you do so much stuff, you seem to be everywhere, filming, finding stories, working hard for Rebel there in Australia. It takes a lot of time and discipline, I guess, to set everything else aside and actually put pen to paper. So what made you actually write the book?

Yeah, absolutely. Look, writing is difficult for me especially. I found it really hard, but, it was a project that I set myself to because for so many years now, probably six, seven years, they've been writing about me. And over the last few years, especially the last four or five years, some of those issues I wasn't even able to answer. So you had these people dragging my name through the mud, smearing me and whilst knowing I can't even respond.
So finally, when I could respond to those issues, I thought, I'm going to write my entire story from beginning to end or till current to essentially set the record straight.
So it's called A Rebel From The Start because that's pretty much as you read from day one, I was pretty much a rebel.
The subtitle is setting the record straight because I'm finally, you finally get the chance to actually hear my story from me, somebody who's actually lived the entire story instead of people that want to cherry pick little bits that they've, managed to find that suits their version of me, that they want people, they want to portray.

Right back to the beginning, you're obviously the first chapter and it does fit you, a born attention seeker.
You're a big character, you enjoy the limelight and your videos show, you kind of use that to your advantage.
You play on that and you connect with the audience using that.
But I mean, really big family born into, you had issues with many things.
Do you want to touch on that? Because your story is a story of actually struggling in areas and then actually changing your life and turning it round.

Yeah, it's good. Look, you know what I find interesting about this conversation is I can tell you've actually read it. A lot of people that are talking about my book online especially they obviously haven't read it because they point to parts where they're trying to embarrass me and shame me on issues. Dude, I talk all about it. Yeah, that's how I started. I grew up in an ultra-orthodox family. I was born the night my family moved to Melbourne. I'm the 10th child of 17 children, the need for attention was probably started off as a survival mechanism and into my, you know, adult life. At times it was, it certainly helped me. Other times it got me into a bit of trouble. And I guess probably the same is true within my media career. It's, I do enjoy it. I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I don't and enjoy the limelight, I love it.
And sometimes it gets me into trouble and at other times that willingness and happiness to be in front of the camera when others may not be works to what I'm doing to my job.

But you, one of the chapters, and I remember when this was happening, one of the chapters, was guilty of wanting my kids. I can vividly remember different parts of your life played publicly, you're getting so much flack for so many things, but part of it was, you kind of personal life and your kids, and when the media bring in family, it is particularly hurtful. Tell us about that? 

Yeah look, those are one of the issues that I'm referring to where the media cherry-picked and that the media sat there through my criminal trial and they knew what was going on.
And they decided to pick certain aspects to report in a really outlandish way that made it easy, you know, any rational good person would hate, when you run a headline, Avi Yemini found, or pleads guilty to assaulting ex-wife. It's pretty horrible stuff. Now they left out all the context around it. Some of it you're not allowed to report, but other parts of it you are certainly allowed to report. And I think sometimes when you know the whole story then, and if you're not allowed to report the parts that gives context, then maybe it's the kind of story you should let the private life be the private life, unless somebody is really a bad person.
Look, I had to deal with that smear for years, silently, and you know, it's probably one of those things, as they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Having to shut up is not in my nature, but it taught me to shut up and just cop it and to learn that, you know, no matter what they say about you, if you know the truth and they're not going to get to define you. Now after so many years I get to say, I get to have my say about that specific issue, the truth of that story is, I've never hit a woman in my life, let alone my ex-wife.
I'm just not that kind of person.
It was a relationship breakdown at the end. In fact, it was when I started a new relationship that this whole thing came up and that there's this kind of formula that women use. And I'm not alone. I know that there are many men, especially here in Australia. And I imagine probably also where you are, where the system, because of historically, the way that the awful way that so many women were treated, that the pendulum has swung all the way the other way, that now a man is guilty until proven innocent. And the problem with that is when you throw children into the mix, suddenly you're left with having to defend yourself, but also trying to get your kids.
And so, if my kids weren't involved in all that, then I would happily, I'm not a person that's afraid of court.
And you can, there's a lot of things you can say about me, but I ain't scared of a courtroom and I would happily fight to clear my name on things.
But as soon as you attach my kids to it, so in short, while you have an open domestic violence case, you ain't getting your kids. So you have two ways of shutting down a domestic violence matter.
One is plead guilty to what was essentially a summary offense at the lowest level of offending, the lowest crime that comes with a penalty of a fine. Even if you didn't commit it, plead guilty to it, close that domestic violence matter and get your kids. Or you can spend a couple of years trying to clear your name. And then whether you clear it or not, at the end of it you can fight to see your kids again. To me, it's a no brainer. You know, if I went back in time, I'd plead guilty to the same crime again because my kids matter more than my pride. That's essentially what this became, because I knew it was going to play out in public. It was whether, and I didn't even weigh it up because at the end of the day, it didn't matter to me. All I wanted was my kids and not only for my sake, but for their sake. But if you have to put it between your pride and your children, I think any good parent would pick their children.
And I did it then and I would do it again.
It is sad that we live in a society that that's where it's become.
And I know that some of the intentions behind the way the system was structured was well intended.
It was to protect vulnerable women. But unfortunately, I know in Australia that's true, and I imagine where you are as well, is a system that is abused by vindictive ex-partners.
And in my case, it was when I started a new relationship, and you can read the full story in my book. But
here I am today, for the first time, being able to tell people, no, what you hear about me, and that's the thing that I noticed over this period is
I had people that have followed me for years and they would get on, you know, when my detractors would attack me with those labels and those smears and call me all sorts of horrible names, the one thing I am not. You'd have supporters who would either defend me by minimizing domestic violence or, you know, saying you haven't heard the other side of the story, which I guess that's probably the most accurate, or saying it didn't happen, whatever. And you also had a lot of people that probably followed my work and thought, oh, he has a nasty past. I think for the first time, now people can actually read my entire story and make up their mind for themselves instead of listening to either reporters who want to see nothing, nothing less than my complete destruction or the other side, my political opponents, people who view me as the enemy.
And remember before they had that false domestic violence, I was the Jewish Nazi. So these are people that'll use anything to try bring down the person because they can't argue the message.
And you know, to my supporters, I've been grateful to see them fighting for me and even when a lot of people would have taken my silence as an admission of guilt.
There were those out there trying to defend me using, without any information, without any information.
But now people can know the truth and know that, no, you haven't either been defending a domestic violence abuser, you haven't been defending somebody that has at least, I have a past, and we talk about my past in the book.
Are just not like that. And, you know, I wouldn't feel, I know how so many must have felt because I wouldn't have felt comfortable defending or following somebody with potentially, potential domestic violence, you know, offenses and or somebody that's horrible to women.
I wouldn't want to be known as that. So this has been for me a big weight off my chest and my shoulders.

Well, the media and I've come to the conclusion they are scum and I didn't actually think I would use terms as strong as that to describe media politicians.
But what, because this was even before you were with Rebel, this was yeah, this was before that time.
So what, what was it that you had done that so pissed off the media because they went for you and who the hell cares about some guy called Avi in a court and yet they had you in their crosshairs.

Yeah look, aligning yourself and working with people, enemies of the state, I think been on your show a number of times, that probably didn't help.
And look, anyone that dares to speak out about issues that goes against the grain, against the narrative is going to become a target by those that it threatens.
And yeah, I understand I'm a massive threat to the mainstream establishment, the legacy media as just as much as I'm a big threat to the political class.
You know, those that have always traditionally held all the power do not want to see the rise of uncontrollable attention seekers like me.

Fair point, yeah. Yeah, I wanna ask you about military because I wanted to join the Air Force, it didn't happen, but I enjoyed kind of my time, University Air Squadron, all that being drilled into, and I have friends who it's been the making of them in the military.
And that seemed to be you. How did you end up going all the way to Israel and join the military?
Why and how did that kind of set you up for the future?

Look, I think I talk about it in the book, but it was, I was always, it was kind of in the back of my mind.
I was, I had two older brothers that served and obviously my mom's whole family's there.
My uncle died in the, in serving the IDF. So you know, it's deep rooted, but for me at that time in my life, I was actually, I signed up.
They didn't know that, but I signed up from rehab. I was just getting off heroin and I was trying to sort my life out.
And I knew that I had to kind of make some dramatic change not to fall into the same habit.
So I chose the, in fact, I did go to one of the, I forgot what they call them, the Australian Army information sessions or whatever.
And I remember at the time they were talking about applying and criminal histories and you know, I spent my whole teenage years in and out of the justice system.
So I realized this was going to be a bit, a much harder road to go down.
And then on top of that, I, when I thought of the Australian army, I thought, well, if I am deployed, I'm going to be fighting someone else's war.
Whereas if I can go and join the Israeli army, at least I'll be fighting to protect my own family, my own people.
So I signed up from rehab and the rest is history.
And I certainly had an interesting service.

I want to jump onto the media side, because obviously I first came across you when you were working with Tommy, with TR News and then you moved over and started with Rebel.

Im still wearing his t-shirt. 

Yeah, I see that. I actually caught up with Ezra the other week. He was in London, so we had a good catch up. Rebel has been perfectly placed, I guess, with all the chaos of the last three years, and you've been right in the middle of that in one of the worst countries for the restrictions and controls and mind control of at every level that we've seen the last three years.
How has that played out because it was, you weren't expecting a worldwide lockdown but certainly Rebel has grown massively in Canada on the back of being the one free speech news channel that will speak out, and you've been able to do that in Australia. Tell us about how that has panned out over the last three years.

Yeah, it's interesting. So I joined Rebel officially, I did a couple of gigs, even while I was working for Tommy as freelance, up until then, but I joined on the 3rd of September of 2020. It was during a lockdown. And the 5th of September 2020, I went to report on a lockdown protest that was, and I was taken down to the ground by police and you know, it was, it was a bizarre time to be doing what we're doing and, but it just set, it was just so perfect.
It was my second day at Rebel and I was arrested, surrounded and arrested.
I thought that we're actually joking at the time when the commanding officer kind of came up to me. I thought he was bantering and I just couldn't believe what was happening.
But it set me up for the rest, you know, the rest of what we were doing or Rebel in Australia.
It really put us on the map with regards to being on the front line of citizen journalism in a time where the mainstream media had just lost their way.
They were not speaking truth to power. They were actually just regurgitating the government's official lines.
And they were happy there, cheering on the lockdowns, cheering on every single crazy totalitarian move that the government was making. And then you had little me and then also at the time you had somebody like Rukhshan who were in his studio.
So don't judge Rukshan, Rukshan actually does good work. He just failed in his studio.
He's sitting behind the screen laughing at me. So you had the, you know, even Rukshan.
Rukshan was nobody before then. He wasn't working for anything.
He was a wedding photographer, and I think he was pretty average at that too.
And then he's laughing behind you. So for those of you on that side of the world, Rukshan's actually not.
You actually can read about Rukshan in the book, but you know, that was my journey through Rebel and I think, Rebel was perfectly placed because they, unlike when I worked for Tommy, Rebel had the ability and the means and the will and the teams to take on these fights.
So when I worked with Tommy, it was probably a few months before.
Actually it was, it was January, 2020 when I was first arrested and that was while I still working for Tommy. And there was nothing I could really do to fight back, even though I knew it was unlawful, the arrest, there was nothing I could do because Tommy was having his own dramas and he was fighting his own, putting out his own fires. And the cops didn't realize that I'd signed up with Rebel because that was actually my first official day in the field for Rebel. So they thought they'll take me down and get rid of me, give me a move on order and I'll just have to cop it like I did the last time. But little did they know that I had joined Rebel and Rebel's first response was, sue them. We're suing them.
And we did end up not only suing them for that one, we sued them for that, we sued them for the one when I worked for Tommy and then one more that they still thought they could get away with it, within that year, I think it was. No, January 2021. So for three arrests.
And they ended up having to, you know, issue that grovelling apology.

How is that? I can imagine Ezra jumping up and down with glee when you're arrested.
You're thinking, oh, oh crap. And he's thinking, yes, because he's thinking about how the audience see that and making that story.
But yeah, I mean, going through. 

I don't think, look, I don't think he gets excited.
I think, I think one of the things that I've learned from Ezra is he's always said, look at every situation and make lemonade from lemons. Just turn it into a positive. And that's the truth.
When you're taken down like that and authorities standing over you with a boot on your neck and trying to intimidate and scare you, most people would cave.
In fact, if I wasn't with Rebel, I'd probably be stuck and would have to.
So we look at those situations and we say, hold on, how can we flip this script?
How can we turn it on them? And that's exactly what we did.
And not only does it, it ended up backfiring so badly for the state because not only did we fight and win, but them acting like that did the one thing they were trying to avoid.
And why were they targeting me? Why did they want me to move out of that situation?
Because they didn't want the world to see, they didn't want our things to go viral showing what they were doing.
That you had militarized police trying to enforce health. Like it sounds crazy now when you go over it, but they didn't want people to see that.
They wanted people to see the filtered reports by the mainstream media, which was reporting, you had a handful of crazy conspiracy theorists that were putting us all at risk.
They didn't want you to see that police, the state in the name of health, were fully dressed in riot gear with crazy armour in these bulletproof trucks were kettling, like bringing the group of peaceful protesters, forcing them into groups where they one by one picked them off and violently arrested and processed. They didn't want people seeing that. So they arrested me thinking that'll get, and tried to move me on, thinking that that will get rid of the problem. But all that did was it attracted worldwide attention.
It gave us the audience that they so desperately didn't want us to have.
And it created the basis of our campaigns, which were fight the fines and pushing back.
And we started all these campaigns off the back of that because people knew we were willing to stand up and fight. And not only from the safety of our studios, but in fact, on the street in front of everyone.
That's why we were successful at what we did because we talked the talk but we also walked the walk.

I think watching it because I was looking at what's happening across Europe because the UK were, actually in a much more favourable position. We didn't have the levels of evils with other governments but it was your reporting that actually turned me to what's happening in Australia and I was able to from the UK was able to catch up with Australia because of what you were putting out and you ended up, I think, for many people in Europe, being the go-to person for understanding what was happening down under. What was the other response from media? Were there other alternative media that were putting it out or was it? 

Yes, there was Rukshan at the time.
If you ever watched any of the live feed, that was the rogue wedding reporter who they basically stopped him from being able to work.
So he started live streaming and really giving his, he was narrating the protest, craziest protest, but Rukshan is this really calm immigrant is the best way to describe him.
Is that the best way? Yeah. He says, yes, he's Sri Lankan.
He's not, he was really calm when you watched his, if you go back onto Facebook and he would get 20, 30, 40 at points, there was like 60,000 people watching live scenes unfolding here in Melbourne, because the whole world was tuned in to see what was happening. So really, at the time there was the in Melbourne, there was the two of us, there was me that was doing these reports. So we would go out there, capture, talk to people, talk to the police, engage police are, you know, at points stand between the police and the protesters and challenge the police when they were overstepping.
And often seeing, you know, certainly after they'd seen us winning in courts and things like that, they, you know, they would, step back and stand down.
And then you had Rukshan that was doing these live, full live streams and just giving his commentary on what was unfolding in front of him.

Weren't you banned? Was it New Zealand you were banned from? You were so dangerous.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that was, they banned me from New Zealand and they used that rubbish, I don't know what you want to call it, the conviction that didn't meet the threshold.
It was an absolute farce. But the funny thing is because it was an anti-government, it was that freedom movement that were running a protest over the weekend and we went down there. Well, we planned to go there. I got to the airport, they stopped me from even boarding the plane. The Qantas staff looked at, you know, they got this alert on my passport. It was the craziest thing. They said to me they'd never seen it.
But the funniest thing from that whole story was as it unfolded, as, you know, the next day the prime minister was asked about it, acted like it had nothing to do with their government and, you know, freedom of information. Well, first we got an Interpol leak that proved that they that they were actually targeting us before even knowing why, if we were coming there, they just knew we were coming to report on this protest and they wanted to stop us and they were trying to get information.
They were looking for criminal convictions so that they could use it as an excuse to ban us.
And then later on Freedom of Information requests showed they were conspiring on the back and everything they were saying was a complete lie.
And the real reason they wanted to stop us in their words was my propensity of inciting people with opposing views.
Which I've memorized that line because it's so funny to think that a so-called democracy.
Who take themselves seriously, really used, that was their basis to block somebody, an Australian, so their closest ally from coming in because I might incite somebody with other views.
And through all of that, it was also, it was desire, it all came out first because the media were egging on the government.
And I thought at the time, I told people, I go, watch, I'm gonna fight this to the end, but they're not gonna go to court.
Cause yet what you have to do is, you have to, to be able to go to court, you've actually got to get, So I got refused at the border with essentially what's called a visa waiver around the world.
But to be able to go to court and challenge it, you've got to get refused the actual visa.
And I said, when I saw the freedom of information request, I go, there's no way these guys are going to court because I'll have the, now the former prime minister on the stand.
And now she can't lie, especially because we have all the evidence.
So I knew they were going to approve it.
But they dragged their feet for almost a year in the hope that by the time I'm approved,
I'm not really going to have something to do there. And if they would have let me in that weekend, I would have done a few reports, interviewed a few people. The protests had ended up being a bit of a fizzle, and I would have been gone in a few days. It would have been whatever.
Now, a year later, when they had nothing else they could drag out, they approved it.
And I know that they were assuming and hoping that it's all said and done.
There's no real reason for me to go back. And if I go back, it's going to be even less of a thing than it was then.
Little did they know that I'd just finished writing my book.
And I thought there could be nowhere more appropriate for me to launch this book than the censorship capital of the West, if not the world.
And so that's why I'm launching it there. And I love it because hook, line and sinker and my detractors in New Zealand, they're so angry that I'm coming after being originally banned.
They don't care about all the other reasons. They don't even care that if the tables are turned, if they really want to see people banned because of their political views, they don't realize that the next government that can be conservative will ban their people.
They don't care. They're not interested. All they, they're so full of hate.
All they wanted to see was me banned.
And they're getting so angry about it that they're even saying that my book should be banned.
And I absolutely support their, their endeavours.
And as long as they keep getting angry about it and talking about it, that's better for me, because I think when you start to tell people they're not allowed, that's what we saw through COVID. If you tell people they're not going to be allowed to read this book, and this is to your entire audience, you guys are not allowed to read this book. Whatever you do, do not go to rebel fromthestart.com and buy this book. When you tell people they're not allowed to do something, they suddenly want to do it. I'll tell you a little secret. Before COVID, I was a massive germaphobe. I'm still a germaphobe, but I was a massive germaphobe. I remember when COVID first started. I fell for the narrative at first. I thought people were crazy who didn't fall for it in the first month or so. I remember when people started washing their hands and using the alcohol thing on their hands. And I was so happy because finally the world was catching up with me. Everybody was clean for once. And then the government said, we've got to start doing this thing. I was like, nah, give me some germs. Give me those germs. I'm not going to wash my hands now because you tell me. It's the same idea. So I encourage my
New Zealand haters to keep telling people that I'm this bad, evil monster and my book should be burned. In fact, I think they should buy many copies to do an official book burning in New Zealand.

It went, I think I read on Rebel News that it had gone to the top in Australia and New Zealand in the first day. That's what negative publicity does, I guess.

Absolutely. Yeah, number one, it was for almost a week, number one, Australia, New Zealand. And I'm sure it'll get there again when, close to the date of the launch, which is in August.
But to your viewers, watch your space, because I don't mind that part of the world.

Very well. Last, I just want to ask you to finish about how it makes you feel about living in Australia, because I watch it from the UK and it makes me angry.
And I'm not living in that totalitarian state. I have friends in Austria and Germany and Europe, and they've struggled with mandatory lockdowns, mandatory jabs, everything, being cut off from families.
You probably had it, yeah, literally worse than anyone, maybe short of across the water with, with horsey face over in New Zealand.
But how does that make you feel? Because it seems as though you, whatever's thrown at you, it just makes you stronger and more up for the fight.

Yeah, look, I don't, I'm not somebody that believes in giving up and running away.
So, and it's not, I can't leave. So maybe I'm just justifying it.
Talk to me in five years, six years when my kids are old enough that I don't, I'm not bound to one place, but for now, I'm glad that I'm here to fight on because, uh, I think if we let Australia fall, if we let first Victoria and every other state fall, and we, there is no, if there is no opposition, then the rest, there's going to be nowhere safe in the way it's going to be safe where?
So it's better to stay and fight for freedom where you are for everyone else. 

Absolutely well let me just bring it up once again the people can see it, there it is, Rebel From The Start Avi Yemini, setting the record straight. Get it on as I said on Amazon or get it directly on the website rebelfromthestart.com. Avi, thank you so much for your time. Always great to talk to you, love what you do. You're a absolute dynamo there. So thanks for coming on and sharing with our viewers about your book.

Thanks for having me mate. Till next time.