The only disinformation in the public arena comes from the NZ government
CHANTELLE BAKER TO KATE HANNAH: ‘WHAT ARE YOU SO AFRAID OF?’
According to its website, The Disinformation Project (TDP) ‘produces high-quality research into the seed and spread of misinformation and disinformation in Aotearoa New Zealand.’
Although the TDP website does not state its sources of funding, it was ‘brought together’ by Te Punaha Matatini, itself ‘a centre of Research Excellence hosted by the University of Auckland’, and funded in part by the state.
Some Pro-Freedom groups accuse TDP’s research on ‘disinformation’ in New Zealand of being based on bias and disinformation, which the government in turn use to enforce policies which decrease social cohesion.
In a video uploaded to YouTube today, Baker shows how she attended an event in which Hannah was speaking. The two engaged in a short discussion, but when it came time for Baker’s colleague (a scientist) to ask a question about Hannah’s research, Hannah promptly shut down conversation and left the stage.
‘Then she’s [Hannah] is saying that we need to have korero, talk together and unite. She’s absolutely right but how do we do that when you won’t have a conversation? How do you do that when you just run away the minute you get an opportunity to talk to someone that you’ve said publicly, and that you’ve talked about publicly, that you won’t have a conversation with one-on-one. You shut down questions, you don’t answer questions, then you run away, and then you’re surprised that New Zealand is becoming further polarised? Really?
‘You are instigating this, and you are pushing it further and further, and every time you do a TV appearance, and every time you try and tell people they’re worthless, or they don’t mean as much, or they’re monsters (according to the new Stuff documentary). These words are powerful, and people won’t forget them, and they won’t forget the division that people like you have caused because you refuse to have conversations with people you disagree with. You refuse to take questions on the science behind your research…
‘We cannot move our country, and unite our country if we cannot bring groups with opposing views together to talk. That should be what your focus is. If you want to reunite New Zealanders, if you want to stop people being polarised, if you want to stop people spreading into extremist groups, give them a place where they feel like they are heard.
‘Our government has not done this, and Kate Hannah you have not done this. My question to you is why? What are you so afraid of from this group of people or from me?’
Following last week’s state-funded hitpiece ‘Fire and Fury’ by legacy mainstream media outfit Stuff, Baker also put out a challenge to lead reporter Paula Penfold to make an appearance on Baker’s podcast for a debate.
The VERY Curious Timing of the Counterspin Arrests…
Leaked: Police Begging Interpol for Intel on Avi Yemini
Last week Australian journalist Avi Yemini was prevented by Immigration NZ from entering New Zealand. Media at the time suggested that the decision was made by Immigration NZ, but an investigation by The BFD suggests that it was in fact the NZ Police who were acting to stop both Avi Yemini and Rukshan Fernando from entering New Zealand and covering the protest at parliament in Wellington.
There is an interesting timeline in play here. An article appeared in the NZ Herald on 20 August that sought to smear the two journalists. The article was unattributed to any journalist. In that article they stated:
He was convicted of unlawful assault against his former wife and sued by his brother for defamation.
In 2018, at a protest demonstration against imprisonment of the far-right British activist, Tommy Robinson in London, Yemini said he was “the world’s proudest Jewish Nazi”.This is important, as you will soon discover. Whoever at the NZ Herald wrote that article had obviously designed the article to give the impression that Avi Yemini was some sort of far-right protagonist who really shouldn’t be here.
Two days later the NZ Herald ran a story that revealed the news that Avi Yemini had been prevented from boarding his flight. A police spokesperson was quoted in the story:
A police spokesperson said they had no comment on the Australian but they were aware of protest activity planned for Wellington.
And an Immigration NZ spokesperson also said:
On Saturday Immigration NZ’s acting general manager for border and visa operations Michael Carley said there are certain conditions temporary visitors to New Zealand must meet in order to be eligible for entry.
“The onus is on the visitor to satisfy Immigration New Zealand that they meet all of the entry requirements at the time they travel to New Zealand, this includes being of good character,” Carley said.
“One of the reasons people are refused entry is not meeting character and criminal convictions is one factor which we take into account. Australian citizens are still expected to declare criminal convictions before being allowed entry to New Zealand.”
NZ Herald
The Immigration NZ officer told Yemini she had made the judgement after reading an article by the NZ Herald, which he described as a “smear campaign”. What the immigration officer did not explain was the fact that Australians can be refused entry only if they have been convicted of a criminal offence and served at least one year in jail within the last 10 years. What Avi Yemini was convicted of was a Summary Offence with no jail sentence, the lowest form of offending.
“The conviction that they were referring to was a fine. It’s the lowest form of any sort of [penalty],” Yemini said. “It doesn’t meet the threshold of refusing entry.”
So, we have Immigration NZ claiming that they acted based on a NZ Herald article, by an anonymous author, and Police claiming that they had no comment on “the Australian” and that they were aware of protest activity planned for Wellington. What Police failed to mention was that they were the ones actively seeking to stop two journalists from travelling to New Zealand, not Immigration NZ.
The day before they were quoted by the NZ Herald, 21 August, Police were actively seeking information, after they’d already decided they’d try to stop Yemini and Fernando from entering New Zealand.
A trusted source contacted The BFD to let us know that Police were lying and that documents existed to prove that. Police had used the Interpol Global Secured Communication System (IGSC) to ask Interpol Canberra for assistance in providing information that would enable the NZ Police to “stop the two from entering New Zealand”. Here is a copy of the email:
As you can see the email is dated the day after the NZ Herald article, and also quotes the same information used in the NZ Herald article. The email also explicitly states that “NZ Police would like to stop the two from entering NZ.” So, it was Police who wanted the two journalists banned, not Immigration NZ. We already know that Immigration NZ based their decision on a smear job in the NZ Herald, so any information that Police may have received from Canberra Interpol almost certainly was not passed on to Immigration NZ.
The other thing that you notice from the email is the profiling based on the same information used by the NZ Herald. It is almost as though the NZ Herald article was seeded so that it could then be used by Police as they tried to get enough intel so that they could effect their stated intention of banning the two journalists from New Zealand. Essentially Police are fitting them up to fit a political narrative that the Police dreamed up.
Chantelle Baker
Chantelle Baker was bemused by being “associated” with Avi Yemini and Rukshan Fernando stating that “if being mildly interested and commenting on them coming to New Zealand was being associated with them, then I guess I was”.
The BFD contacted Police regarding the contents of the email and a police spokesperson said “New Zealand Police will not comment on this matter for operational reasons. It’s important to note that any decision to deny entry into the country is ultimately a matter for Immigration New Zealand.”
This contradicts their own email which states “NZ Police would like to stop the two from entering NZ”, not Immigration NZ. It would appear that Police are dissembling. Not only that, interfering in such a manner is expressly forbidden by Article 3 of INTERPOL’s constitution:
“It is strictly forbidden for the Organization to undertake any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.”
Article 3 of INTERPOL’s Constitution.
“It is strictly forbidden for the Organization to undertake any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.”
Article 3 of INTERPOL’s Constitution. ….
I have not reproduced the rest of the article (press on the link to do so) as, truth be told, I find Avi Yemini a fairly distasteful character.
I am willing to put that aside but I am not of a mind to mirror pro-Israeli, Zionist talking points.
