Facebook bans Australian celebrity chef Pete Evans over coronavirus conspiracy theories

The former chef’s page on Instagram is still active, however, and includes posts that encourage Sydney residents to refuse to get tested for the virus

Evans was previously known for promoting pseudoscientific dieting ideas – often linked to his own commercial enterprises – such as the palaeolithic diet

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Peter Evans, an Australian chef, restaurateur, author and television presenter. Photo: Handout

Published: 3:30pm, 24 Dec 2020Updated: 3:30pm, 24 Dec 2020

Facebook has banned Australian celebrity chef and conspiracy theorist Pete Evans for repeatedly spreading misinformation about the coronavirus.

With more than 1 million social media followers, Evans had been an influential promoter of conspiracy theories about the pandemic and vaccines.

Facebook said on 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 company said in a statement.

The former chef’s page on Instagram – a Facebook-owned platform – with 278,000 followers is still active, however, and includes posts that encourage Sydney residents to defy public health officials and refuse to get tested for the virus.

Australia’s largest city is currently battling to contain a cluster of more 100 cases that ended months of low community transmission.

Evans said on Instagram Thursday that he was glad to be “one of the catalysts for a conversation” about freedom of speech and described the science around the pandemic as “BS”.