- Facebook鈥檚 action against a registered political party in the midst of an election campaign is unprecedented in New Zealand
- The company recently banned a politician from India鈥檚 ruling Hindu nationalist BJP for hate speech
WELLINGTON: Facebook shut down the page of conspiracy-embracing political party Advance New Zealand on Thursday just two days out from a general election, accusing it of spreading misinformation about the coronavirus.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 allow anyone to share misinformation on our platforms about Covid-19 that could lead to imminent physical harm,鈥� a spokesperson for the social media giant told AFP.
The action prompted the party鈥檚 co-leader Billy Te Kahika 鈥� who has amassed a huge following using the online platform 鈥� to accuse Facebook of meddling in the upcoming vote.
鈥淔acebook have now officially interfered with the New Zealand 2020 elections,鈥� Te Kahika claimed in a live video posted to his personal Facebook page shortly after the takedown.
鈥淭hey did it in the middle of a broadcast and it鈥檚 unbelievable, guys. This is amazing... they鈥檝e actually carried through with the threat.鈥�
Facebook鈥檚 action against a registered political party in the midst of an election campaign is unprecedented in New Zealand.
It comes as the company shows an increased willingness to act against misleading political claims, fake accounts pushing partisan agendas and hate speech such as Holocaust denial.
The company recently banned a politician from India鈥檚 ruling Hindu nationalist BJP for hate speech, and on Thursday blocked links to a New York Post article purporting to expose corrupt dealings by US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Facebook said it would enforce its policies on coronavirus misinformation 鈥渞egardless of anyone鈥檚 political position or party affiliation.鈥�
鈥淲e removed Advance New Zealand/New Zealand Public Party鈥檚 Facebook Page for repeated violations鈥� of misinformation policies, it said.
Te Kahika, a former blues musician, is standing for parliament after his social media posts claiming Covid-19 is fake and part of a conspiracy to enslave people became wildly popular in New Zealand.
Between late June and early October, the Advance NZ Facebook page generated more than 5.3 million views, according to data from social media tracker CrowdTangle.
They are stunning figures for a new political entrant in a nation of just five million people.
Advance NZ鈥檚 page views exceed the 2.8 million for New Zealand鈥檚 main opposition National Party and 5.2 million for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern鈥檚 Labour Party over the same period.
Advance NZ鈥檚 Facebook posts have also generated far more activity than those of the two mainstream parties.
Advance NZ鈥檚 posts have been shared 148,000 times, compared with fewer than 110,000 combined for the mainstream parties, according to the CrowdTangle data.
AFP fact-checkers have debunked two of his party鈥檚 most popular claims: that the government was authorizing the military to enter private residences and planning forced vaccinations.
The latter claim was made in a campaign video that selectively edited statements from lawmakers, resulting in parliament鈥檚 privileges committee condemning 鈥渂latant doctoring鈥� of footage and demanding it be taken down.
On Thursday, New Zealand鈥檚 Advertising Standards Authority order the party to withdraw fliers making similar claims, calling them 鈥渕isleading and irresponsible.鈥�
Te Kahika accused Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who is expected to win Saturday鈥檚 election due largely to her government鈥檚 success containing coronavirus, of being behind Facebook鈥檚 decision to remove the page.
鈥淭his is not North Korea, this is not China, but the way this government鈥檚 behaving you鈥檇 think it is,鈥� he said.
Te Kahika鈥檚 supporters expressed outrage online.
鈥淭hey did this to Trump, you鈥檙e both a threat to the establishment,鈥� commented one, while another said 鈥渢he more they fight you, the more credible they make you.鈥�