Pete Evans: Neo-Nazis plotted to move in on the celebrity chef

It was the neo-Nazi cartoon that cost celebrity chef Pete Evans millions in lost endorsements, but it appears neo-Nazis targeted him to politicise their agenda.

Pete Evans was targeted by neo-Nazi groups as a person they could ‘red pill’ or politicise for their cause months before the celebrity chef posted his now infamous neo Nazi cartoon.

Dr Kaz Ross — who researches alt right, neo-Nazi and QAnon groups — said she had been leaked screen shots of neo Nazi’s discussing Pete Evans as a person they could swing to their cause in online chat groups.

“They had already identified him as someone they could turn and they were working on that months and months before he posted that cartoon,” Dr Ross said.

QAnon follower Pete Evans in Byron Bay. Picture: Nathan Edwards

A screenshot of a group discussion in a neo-Nazi chat group on Telegram.

The symbol was co-opted by Nazi Germany and remains popular with neo-Nazis. It was used on the cover of the manifesto by the 2019 Christchurch mosque shooter Breton Tarrant who killed 51 people.

When it was pointed out to Evans that the symbol was the black sun, he replied: “I was waiting for someone to see that.”

Pete Evans is also a QAnon follower, the conspiracy group that believes the world is run by elites and paedophiles who eat children and Donald Trump is their saviour.

Many high profile QAnon followers stormed the Capitol building in Washington on January 6.

Chef Pete Evans’ Instagram post with the suggested Nazi references.

“Not at all, I’d already seen neo-Nazis on Telegram during the year saying ‘hey Pete Evans looks like someone we can red pill, let’s trying to get him onto Telegram’ and they were already in communication with him via Instagram.”

The term ‘red pill’ refers to the movie the Matrix where if you take the red pill you see the truth. The term has been adopted by QAnon followers but it is also a neo-Nazi term.

“If you take the red pill you see the truth, of the alt right and neo-Nazi, they talk about red pilling the QAnon people, meaning getting them more political, rather than just following a crackpot conspiracy they talk about red pilling the QAnon people which means turning them onto politics which in the case of the neo-Nazis means the Jews are behind everything,” Dr Ross said.

“They are always looking out for opportunities. Way, way back they were saying they saw Pete Evans as someone they could work and on and low and behold he delivered.”

QAnon follower Jake Angeli was one of the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol in Washington on January 6. Picture: ORF

Evans denied he knew of the cartoon’s meaning.

“Just when you thought 2020 couldn’t get any more bizarre, the mainstream media have just come out and labelled me a racist and neo-Nazi. The fact that I had to actually Google what neo-Nazi meant is pretty telling,” he said in a post.

Dr Ross said the pandemic had brought together a rag tag coalition of conspiracy groups like QAnon, anti-vaxxers, anti-lockdown and alt right, but neo-Nazis are actively recruiting on new platforms like Telegram which Pete Evans has now moved to. After QAnon groups were removed by Facebook, most are now active on Telegram.

The “QAnon shaman” Jake Angeli, who was part of the pro-Trump mob who rioted at Washington’s Capitol building on January 6, also sports the valknut tattoo above his heart which is pagan symbol adopted by white supremacists.

“There is a big overlap with QAnon and anti-vaxxers, there is the same belief structure, there is a new world order of elites and they are lying to you and using the media to do it, it’s the same narrative structure of anti-vaxxers, neo-Nazis and in their case they say the new world order are Jews, but all of them have the same narrative which is a bunch of powerful, secret, evil people are in control and they are lying to you to exploit you or in the case of the neo-Nazis to eradicate you and using the media to do it,” Dr Ross said.

“The minute the QAnon moved to Telegram, the Nazis have moved in and have been posted anti-Jewish stuff and trying to red pill them and Nazis actually use the term black pill them, to politicise them.”

Mr Evans was contacted for comment.