On Thursday, Facebook shut down the page of conspiracy-embracing political party Advance New Zealand just two days out from a general election, accusing it of spreading misinformation about the coronavirus.
A Facebook spokesperson told AFP: “We don’t allow anyone to share misinformation on our platforms about Covid-19 that could lead to imminent physical harm.”
“Facebook have now officially interfered with the New Zealand 2020 elections,” Te Kahika claimed in a live video posted to his personal Facebook page shortly after the takedown.
“They did it in the middle of a broadcast and it’s unbelievable, guys. This is amazing… they’ve actually carried through with the threat.”
Facebook’s action against a registered political party in the midst of an election campaign is unprecedented in New Zealand.
Facebook said it would enforce its policies on coronavirus misinformation regardless of anyone’s political position or party affiliation.
“We removed Advance New Zealand/New Zealand Public Party’s Facebook Page for repeated violations of misinformation policies,” it said.
