Disgraced celebrity chef Pete Evans is doing little to quell the controversy surrounding his neo-Nazi meme saga.
Despite being lampooned online and abandoned by more than 15 sponsors in a matter of days, Pete, 47, defiantly shared yet another controversial meme on Wednesday evening – this time taking aim at the ‘fake news media’.
Pete posted the meme to his account on social media app Telegram, and it depicts a grid of images each representing parts of society that he deems to be ‘fake’.
He’s lost the plot: Pete Evans (pictured) has lashed out at the ‘fake news’ media for calling him a neo-Nazi – despite damning screenshots proving he KNEW what his hateful meme meant
It reads: ‘We live in a world that’s made up of fake people, fake food, fake medicine, fake weather, fake news, fake history, fake pandemics, fake revolution, fake spirituality.
‘And wonder why people hate the truth.’
While Pete may believe the neo-Nazi meme scandal is ‘fake news’, there is plenty of evidence that proves otherwise.
Showing his true colours: The meme, which appears on Pete’s Telegram account, depicts a grid of images each representing parts of society that he deems to be ‘fake’
After posting the neo-Nazi Black Sun emblem to his Facebook page on Sunday, Pete has provided conflicting statements.
The meme was a cartoon of a caterpillar wearing a MAGA cap and a butterfly with the racist Black Sun wheel on its wing – with the suggestion being that neo-Nazism is the natural evolution for Donald Trump supporters.
The Black Sun symbol became infamous after it was introduced by top-ranking Nazi Heinrich Himmler during World War II.
Shameful: Pete had sparked outrage on Sunday when he shared a neo-Nazi meme on Facebook. He posted this cartoon of a caterpillar wearing a MAGA cap and a butterfly with the racist Black Sun emblem on its wing – with the suggestion being that neo-Nazism is the natural evolution for Donald Trump supporters
The symbol has since been adopted by numerous neo-Nazi groups, and by Christchurch mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant.
At first, Pete indicated that he was aware of the symbol’s meaning when a fan stated they recognised it, and he replied: ‘I was waiting for someone to see that.’
However, Pete backflipped just hours later, claiming that he actually didn’t know what it meant.
What was he thinking? Evans seemingly confirmed he was aware of the meaning of the symbol when a fan stated they recognised it, and Pete replied: ‘I was waiting for someone to see that’
Deleting his post and replacing it with with an image of a rainbow heart, Pete posted a sarcastic non-apology in which he claimed he would be ‘studying all of the symbols that have ever existed’ to make sure he doesn’t offend anyone again.
‘Sincere apologies to anyone who misinterpreted a previous post of a caterpillar and a butterfly having a chat over a drink and perceived that I was promoting hatred,’ he wrote.
‘I look forward to studying all of the symbols that have ever existed and research them thoroughly before posting. Hopefully this symbol [the love heart] resonates deeply into the hearts of ALL!’
Sorry, not sorry: He later deleted the post on Monday afternoon and replaced it with this image of a rainbow heart alongside a sarcastic non-apology in which he claimed he’d be ‘studying all of the symbols that have ever existed’ to make sure he doesn’t offend anyone again
The former My Kitchen Rules judge also laughed off his latest scandal outside his farm in northern NSW on Tuesday morning, offering a half-hearted apology to those offended by his racist social media post.
‘I apologise to anyone who might have taken it out of context,’ he said. ‘I promise you, whatever anybody is saying, that is not who I am.’
‘And once again, deepest apologies to anyone who might have taken offence to that comment, or the image that I shared, because it was never meant to be taken in that way,’ he added.
Speaking out: On Tuesday afternoon, he shared a video to Instagram in which he called the allegations against him ‘garbage’ while cuddling up to one of his horses
From bad to worse: Pete urged his supporters to study ‘the true history of Germany’ in a Facebook comment just one month before he shared a neo-Nazi meme over the weekend
That afternoon, he shared a video to Instagram in which he called the allegations against him ‘garbage’ while cuddling up to one of his horses.
‘Well just when you thought 2020 couldn’t get any more bizarre. The mainstream media have come out and labelled me a racist and a neo-Nazi. The fact that I had to actually google what neo-Nazi meant is pretty telling,’ he said, while laughing.
Just last month Pete also encouraged his fans to study the ‘true history’ of Germany.
‘You may wish to have another look about the true history about Germany’: Last month, Pete responded to a fan who claimed that ‘Nazi Germany is infiltrating Australia using stealth and brainwashing’, and that Australians should ‘wake up and look at history’
Resurfaced Facebook comments show Pete responding to a fan who claimed that ‘Nazi Germany is infiltrating Australia using stealth and brainwashing’, and that Australians should ‘wake up and look at history’.
Pete responded: ‘You may wish to have another look about the true history about Germany.’
Pete also ‘liked’ another fan’s comment, which stated: ‘Everything we were taught about the Germans is 100 per cent the opposite of the reality that took place.’
Thumbs up: Pete also ‘liked’ another fan’s comment, which stated: ‘Everything we were taught about the Germans is 100 per cent the opposite of the reality that took place’
Meanwhile, 15 sponsors and companies have dropped Pete in response to the neo-Nazi meme scandal.
The list includes his publisher Pan Macmillan, bookstore Dymocks, BIG W, Coles, kitchenware company Baccarat, Woolworths, House homewares, Target, Kmart, Booktopia, David Jones and Channel 10’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Also severing ties are Readings and Gleebooks bookstores, while Natural Raw C coconut water revealed it had ended its agreement with Pete earlier this year.