Controversial far-right social media personality Avi Yemini was not allowed into New Zealand due to his past criminal record, contradicting his own claims.
On Monday, Yemini’s passport was flagged by Immigration New Zealand as he was checking into his Qantas flight. After then being informed that he wasn’t allowed into New Zealand, he claimed this was because his “presence in the country threatens the mainstream media and government narrative.”
However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. As per Newshub, Immigration New Zealand said Yemini was denied entry due to a past criminal conviction. Three years ago, he was convicted of unlawful assault against his ex-wife.
“The onus is on the person to satisfy Immigration New Zealand (INZ) that they meet all of the visa and entry requirements for New Zealand, including being of good character,” Immigration NZ acting general manager of border and visa operations Michael Carley told Newshub.
“We can confirm that Mr Avi Yemini was denied boarding his flight from Australia to New Zealand as he did not meet the immigration requirements due to his criminal conviction. Where an individual does not meet character requirements, they should apply through the usual visa application process. They will need to supply a police certificate with their application to have a character waiver considered.”
Large-scale protests have been taking place in the New Zealand capital Wellington today, and Yemini reportedly wished to join the anti-government gathering.
Yemini has quite the chequered history in Australia, with the Melbourne-based figure often making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Known for his extreme right-wing ideology and controversial comments, Yemini has previously called Islam a “barbaric ideology” and said that Muslim countries are “Islamic sh*tholes”.
The Brag covered Yemini’s history last year, with notable events including being sued for defamation by his own brother, calling himself “the world’s proudest Jewish Nazi,” and a public beef with Aussie comedian Jim Jeffries.
