Sydney, Australia:
Facebook has banned Australian celebrity chef and conspiracy theorist Pete Evans for repeatedly spreading misinformation about the coronavirus.
With more than a million social media followers, Evans had been an influential promoter of conspiracy theories about the pandemic and vaccines.
Facebook stated Thursday it would not “allow anyone to share misinformation about Covid-19 that could lead to imminent physical harm” or falsehoods about Covid-19 vaccines.
“We have clear policies against this type of content and we’ve removed Chef Pete Evans’ Facebook Page for repeated violations of these policies,” the organization stated in a statement.
The former chef’s web page on Instagram — a Facebook-owned platform — with 278,000 followers is nonetheless active, nevertheless, and incorporates posts that encourage Sydney residents to defy public wellness officials and refuse to get tested for the virus.
Australia’s biggest city is at the moment battling to include a cluster of more one hundred situations that ended months of low neighborhood transmission.
Evans stated on Instagram Thursday that he was glad to be “one of the catalysts for a conversation” about freedom of speech and described the science about the pandemic as “BS”.
Facebook has previously banned some higher profile accounts that peddled misinformation and hate speech, most notably these of conspiracist Alex Jones and far-suitable figure Milo Yiannopoulos.
Under fierce scrutiny and criticism that the platform is debasing public debate, Facebook has also announced a ban on accounts linked to the QAnon conspiracy group.
Evans was previously identified for advertising pseudoscientific dieting tips — normally linked to his personal industrial enterprises — such as the palaeolithic diet plan, earning him the nickname “Paleo” Pete.
Several businesses not too long ago ditched Evans and his books had been pulled from the shelves right after he posted a “black sun” Nazi symbol on social media.
Evans denies trafficking in lies, and denounces what he calls “fear-based propaganda.”
“The pandemic is a hoax. It is as simple as that” he told AFP earlier this year, with no providing any credible proof.
(This story has not been edited by TheSpuzz employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)