Australia’s Largest Christian News Site

Victorian police twice detained Rebel News reporter Avi Yemini while he covered a student anti-One Nation rally, raising serious questions about press freedom and policing.

Victorian police have stopped Rebel News from reporting on kids skipping school to attend an anti-One Nation rally.

Police forcibly removed Avi Yemini as he was interviewing three people at the far-left Marxist 12 November event.

In a video posted online, a policewoman can be heard telling the Rebel News Australia chief correspondent that the arrest was over concerns about a potential disturbance of the peace.

Despite the video showing no obvious threat, police appeared to ignore Yemini’s rights, cuffed him, and then detained him in a police wagon. This allegedly happened twice.

The skip school rally was organised by High School Anti-Capitalists Melbourne, which is affiliated with the far-left activist organisation Socialist Alternative.

According to information published online by far-left extremists Socialist Alliance, the purpose of these rallies is to tell Pauline Hanson to get stuffed (paraphrased).

Reasons given for these ditch-school-to-scream-hate-at-Hanson rallies were cultural Marxist clichés: racism, sexism and anti-worker politics, all cited without evidence on Socialist Alliance’s Green Left news website.

Hanson Challenges Students to Return to the Classroom

In a response, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson schooled organisers for using her as an excuse to get kids to ditch school. She then pointed out that kids would do better to pay more attention to their schoolwork than protesting for socialism.

Hanson dropped the brief remarks on X, stating, “While these kids skip school to protest against democratically elected MPs, their parents are struggling to pay the bills, put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.

“And given that 51% of Australian 15-year-olds fail to meet national standards in maths and 40% in science, these kids really need to get back to class.

“Millions of Australians are supporting One Nation because they’re sick of being priced out of their own country and want a better future.”

Double Standards in Policing

Reporting on Yemini’s arrest, One News (ON) said that he was detained again 50 minutes after Victorian police, now notorious for partisan policing, had apparently taken issue with Rebel’s media presence.

A timeline posted by ON shows the two arrests taking place between 2:39 pm and 4:15 pm.

ON argued that his arrests exposed “a stark double standard written straight into Victoria’s Summary Offences Act. Section 6 allows police to order a person out of a public place if they reasonably suspect a likely breach of the peace.”

ON said,

“Disobeying that move-on direction without a reasonable excuse carries a maximum fine of five penalty units. That equals $1,045.50 this financial year at Victoria’s current rate of $209.10 per unit.

“Section 6 also explicitly exempts anyone ‘demonstrating or protesting about a particular issue ‘. That means picketers, student marchers and political activists publicising a view are legally shielded from move-on orders, while working journalists are afforded no such protection.”

The news site added that video of the incidents does not capture police telling Avi was being charged, nor does it show Avi saying he was being charged. However, he has described the first incident as an unlawful arrest.

On X, the Rebel News Australia boss wrote, “I was just ARRESTED for JOURNALISM in Melbourne, Australia. Let that sink in.”

Astounded at legacy media’s silence, he later added another post stating, “The mainstream media have completely IGNORED my unlawful arrest.

“If one of THEIR journalists had been treated HALF as badly, it would be wall-to-wall coverage and NATIONAL OUTRAGE.

“But while they pretend nothing happened, the footage is going VIRAL across every platform. They’ve lost control of the narrative, and it’s exposing how IRRELEVANT they’ve become.”

Rebel News Vows Legal Action to Defend Press Freedom

Responding to Yemini’s arrests, Kirralie Smith wrote, “Take it all the way Avi. The police are disgraceful.”

Christian Senator Ralph Babet called it insane, arguing that Victoria Police was out of line.

Libertarian Councillor Steve Christou also commented, saying, “Keep fighting mate. Myself and my friends were covering the protest in Sydney today and were moved on by the police claiming breach of the peace. There was no issues of whatsoever, but police were adamant we needed to move on and not speak to anyone.”

Those sharing news about Avi’s fresh arrests included Britain’s Tommy Robinson, The Gateway Pundit, Kellie-Jay Keen, Australian Jewish Association, MilkbarTV and former Victorian Libertarian Senator, David Leyonhjelm.

Comedian Dave Hughes, who shot to notoriety in June after breaking up with the Labor Party, also protested.

In a short statement on X, Hughes noted, “There was no threat. He was asking questions and listening to answers. If it’s ok for thousands of school kids to skip school to protest, it’s ok for people to peacefully ask them what they are protesting.”

An official Rebel News statement rightly called the overreach incidents an abuse of power.

“Victoria Police arrested Avi twice in a single day outside the State Library, for doing his job. The first time, officers threw him into a divvy van and drove him a few blocks up the road under the premise of arrest, could not say what for, and let him go. Then they arrested him again, on the same day, for continuing to do his job.”

When arguing precedent, Rebel News Australia said that they’ll be pursuing Victoria Police through the legal system to make sure freedom of the press in the state is protected.

They also pointed to an October event where police allegedly grabbed Avi by the throat and threatened him, during what J-Wire said was an anti-Zionist rally.

Victoria Police told News24 that they are investigating the matter.