Facebook has deleted the official page of Pete Evans, an Australian celebrity chef, after he continuously shared misinformation about the coronavirus to his followers.
In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said: “We don’t allow anyone to share misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts. We have clear policies against this type of content and we’ve removed Chef Pete Evans’ Facebook Page for repeated violations of these policies.”
Facebook has previously removed posts from Evans’ page for violating the company’s policies.
The social media platform’s move to completely get rid of Pete Evans from its system comes just days after he urged people not to get a coronavirus test during the Northern Beaches outbreak.
Posting to Facebook, the outspoken anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist shared a photo of an article that read: “Sydney COVID outbreak grows with two new cases overnight.”
In the caption, Evans wrote, “OUTBREAK … 2 cases,” along with clown-face emojis.
He added: “Can you see where this is heading again. Testing for the common cold? Do not get tested.”
Some of his avid supporter expressed their agreement to the outspoken chef and restaurant pizza owner’s statements.
Last month, the disgraced chef also posted an illustration of a caterpillar and a butterfly taking over a drink to his social media followers. In the image, the butterfly has a “black sun” symbol on its wings while the caterpillar wears a pro-Trump Make America Great Again red hat.
The black sun mark is a known Nazi symbol, which the Christchurch mass-shooter had emblazoned on his backpack.
Following a public uproar, the post has since been deleted. The post also cost Evans the support of Big W, Kmart, Coles, Booktopia and Target. He was also subsequently dumped by his publisher Pan Macmillan Australia.
In another incident on Facebook livestream dated April 9, Pete Evans, who lists himself as an organic paleo chef, health coach, motivational speaker and author, claimed a $15,000 device sold on his website called a “biocharger” could be used in relation to what he called the “Wuhan coronavirus”.
A week later, the Therapeutic Goods Administration fined him $25,000, issuing two infringement notices to Peter Evans Chef Pty Ltd for allegedly breaching the Therapeutic Good Act on social media.
The celebrity chef’s Instagram page is still active, with 278,000 followers and nearly 7000 posts.
With different stories and theories spread online about the coronavirus and the current vaccines being manufactured and distributed, Facebook has made stricter rules and regulations to prevent the spread of fake news and information. The company has started removing coronavirus-related misinformation since January, when the virus was declared a global health emergency.
Between March and October, moderators took down at last 12 million pieces of content from Facebook and Instagram.
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