Facebook announced Thursday, October 15, that it had closed the page of New Zealand's Advance NZ party, two days before the general election, accusing this party surfing conspiracy theories of promoting disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic.

"We do not allow anyone to share on our platform disinformation about Covid-19, which would be likely to imminently cause physical harm," a spokesperson for the social network told AFP.

"We have closed the Advance New Zealand / New Zealand Public Party Facebook page for repeated violations of this policy," he continues.

A decision which was condemned by the founder of the party Billy Te Kahika who accused the social network of interference in the electoral process, he who had in a few months seen his audience explode thanks to the Web.

"Facebook has now officially committed interference in the 2020 New Zealand elections," he said in a video posted to his personal Facebook account.

"They did it in the middle of a show and it's amazing, guys. It's amazing […] they finally put their threats to death."

Former famous blues guitarist Billy TK is running for a deputy seat in the legislative elections on Saturday.

He was one of the surprises of the campaign, quickly establishing himself as a leading figure in the New Zealand conspiracy movement.

His social media posts like his campaign speeches are riddled with borrowings from conspiracy theories that have spread around the world as fast as the coronavirus.

Not in "North Korea"

Against the backdrop of this obsession with a "deep state", a "shadow state" or "deep state", and the assertion that the health crisis would have been fabricated by governments to take control of their population.

"Billy TK" also defends the idea of ​​a United Nations "project" to park all rural people in "super cities" in order to confiscate their land.

With Bill and Melinda Gates, Hillary Clinton or New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern behind the scenes pulling the strings.

And on Thursday, he accused Jacinda Ardern of being behind Facebook's decision.

"We are neither in North Korea, nor in China, but it is nevertheless the impression that gives the attitude of the government", he launched.

Anger increased tenfold by his supporters on social networks.

"They did that to Trump, you are both a threat to the establishment," one netizen commented when another added, "The more they fight you, the more credible you are."

Billy TK told AFP he could rally 15% of the electorate on his behalf on October 17.

The polls give it much lower, however.

With AFP

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