Chief Minister condemns comments made at Darwin ‘freedom rally’ by anti-vax ‘liar’

Chief Minister Michael Gunner has condemned the comments of an anti-vax ‘liar’ who founded an organisation that provides ‘healing’ to Indigenous youth.

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner has slammed the comments of a man who spouted Covid-19 conspiracies in front of a crowd at a Free the NT rally.

David Cole, the co-founder of Balunu Healing Foundation that provides healing for Indigenous youth, has claimed Aboriginal people are dying from the Covid-19 vaccines.

ABC Darwin obtained footage of Mr Cole speaking to a crowd and aired the shocking comments which were quashed by Mr Gunner and indigenous health leaders.

“Six people from Groote Eylandt have died in the last week and the government is hiding it, people are dropping, the morgues are filling and the funeral parlours can’t cope,” Mr Cole said to the crowd.

Mr Cole was then asked by the crowd ‘what did he die of?’

Mr Cole responded to the crowd “they were all vaccinated”.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner has condemned comments made by David Cole to a crowd at a Darwin ‘freedom rally.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner responded to the video and said Territorians should not get their information from this man. “To deliberately lie to some of our most vulnerable Territorians and spread fear about a lifesaving vaccine is so contemptuous I don’t have adjectives media would print,” Mr Gunner said.

“This misinformation is putting lives at risk.”

Larrakia traditional owner and elder Dr Aleeta Fejo has worked as a senior practitioner in Aboriginal health for the past 35 years.

“I’m very concerned because people are not sure about whether to have the vaccination or not because of information that they are receiving,” Dr Fejo told ABC Darwin.

“When a person comes in and creates doubt and fear in somebody’s mind, it means that person may be hesitant about whether to have this vaccination or not.”

The NT News obtained additional footage of Mr Cole speaking to a crowd at a Free the NT rally outside the Darwin Parliament House on September 7.

Mr Cole shared unverified information and did not name his source.

“I’m awaiting verification from a store manager but in a remote community on the NT and WA border, the health department has ordered coffins and flowers to the community store which the store manager did not order,” he said. “This is a premeditated genocide.”