A leading Australian academic has slammed celebrity chef Pete Evans for interviewing Holocaust denier David Icke on his podcast this week.
Evans, 47, who has sparked controversy for sharing his dangerous conspiracies about vaccines, COVID-19 and the 5G network – announced on Monday night that he’d just spent two ‘enlightening’ hours interviewing Icke, 68.
Icke is known for espousing absurd conspiracy theories, many of which related to Holocaust denial and the idea that bloodthirsty Jewish ‘lizard people’ control the world.
‘Profoundly shameful’: LDr Abramovich, Chairman of the Anti-defamation Commission (left) has slammed Pete Evans (right) for supporting Holocaust denier David Icke and giving him a platform to spread anti-semitic conspiracy theories
Most recently, he bizarrely claimed that Jewish cultists or ‘Sabbatian Frankists’ are responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the Anti-defamation Commission successfully campaigned to revoke Icke’s visa to tour Australian in 2019.
While Evans’ podcast interview with Icke has not yet been published, the decision to give him a platform is, as explained by Dr Dvir Abramovich, untenable.
‘Mr Evans may choose to put the blinders on and conveniently ignore the facts, but we won’t’: While Evans’ podcast interview with Icke (pictured) has not yet been published, the decision to give him a platform is, as explained by Dr Dvir Abramovich, untenable
‘It beggars belief that Mr Evans is giving a thumbs-up and mainstreaming and legitimising a hate-preacher who has a long-standing record of peddling antisemitic conspiracy theories and stomach-churning bigoted rants,’ Dr Abramovich told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.
‘Pete Evans is dead wrong on this this issue, and should do some serious soul-searching about his morally indefensible conduct.’
It is not suggested that Pete Evans endorses the views of David Icke relating to Holocaust denial or the Jewish people.
Holocaust-denier: Icke (pictured) Icke has previously advocated for Holocaust denial to be taught in schools, and believes that Jews bankrolled Hitler
Dr Abramovich explained that Pete’s decision to feature Icke on his podcast is ‘a slap in the face’ to Holocaust survivors and a ‘kick in the stomach’ to those who died fighting the evil Nazis.
‘Mr Evans may choose to put the blinders on and conveniently ignore the facts, but we won’t,’ Dr Abramovich said.
Icke has previously advocated for Holocaust denial to be taught in schools, and believes that Jews bankrolled Hitler.
Time to shelve: Dr Abramovich, who has personally reached out to Evans (pictured) himself, continued: ‘We urge Pete Evans to shelve this podcast and to apologise for his lapse in judgement’
He has also claimed Jews were behind the slave trade, caused the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and staged the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Icke’s book, And The Truth Will Set You Free, is littered with Holocaust-denial rhetoric including one line which reads: ‘The Holocaust cannot avoid this exposure to proper debate for very much longer’.
‘Giving Icke a voice and a platform is profoundly shameful, and will only bolster the credibility of this demagogue of hate and his extremist slurs,’ Dr Abramovich said.
Updating fans: Promoting the interview via his Instagram on Monday night, Evans wrote: ‘Just finished a 2 hour podcast with @davidickeofficial. Thank you David for a stimulating and enlightening heart opening conversation into the realm of infinite possibilities’
Dr Abramovich, who has personally reached out to Evans himself, continued: ‘We urge Pete Evans to shelve this podcast and to apologise for his lapse in judgement.’
‘This is not who we are as Australians, and this podcast sends the wrong signal about our nation and violates our core values of tolerance, diversity and respect.’
Icke was banned from YouTube in May for making dangerous and unproven claims about COVID-19, including suggesting that the virus is linked to the 5G mobile network.
In the same month, Facebook similarly removed Icke’s page from its platform for publishing ‘health misinformation that could cause physical harm’.
Meanwhile, Evans promoted his upcoming interview with Icke via n Instagram on Monday night, writing: ‘Just finished a 2 hour podcast with @davidickeofficial. Thank you David for a stimulating and enlightening heart opening conversation into the realm of infinite possibilities.’