Pete Evans' books pulled from Big W after controversial social media post - 9News

Retail giant Woolworths is pulling books by controversial celebrity chef Pete Evans from shelves after he posted a cartoon with a symbol linked to neo-Nazis and the Christchurch massacre.

Evans posted the illustration of a caterpillar and a butterfly chatting over a drink to his social media followers yesterday.

In the image, the butterfly has a "black sun" symbol on its wings while the caterpillar wears a pro-Trump Make America Great Again red hat.

The black sun mark is a known Nazi symbol which the Christchurch mass-shooter had emblazoned on his backpack. The post has since been deleted.

A 'healthy simmer sauce' by celebrity chef Pete Evans has been recalled after incorrect labelling sparked fears of undeclared allergens. (James Brickwood/Facebook)

In a statement today Woolworths Group said it will pull Evans' books from the shelves of its Big W stores from today.

"We appreciate the community concern over recent comments," the company said in the statement.

"Woolworths Supermarkets has conveyed its own concerns directly with supplier Raw C, who subsequently advised its relationship with Pete Evans ended earlier this year.

"BIG W reviews its range of books regularly to ensure they're aligned with its values. It has decided to remove Pete Evans' book titles from the BIG W range from 17 November in line with Pan Macmillan's offer.

"As always, we would encourage our customers to follow the expert medical advice from health authorities."

Big W will be pulling Pete Evans' books from shelves today. (AAP)

Woolworths Supermarkets has no direct business relationship with Evans.

The retail dumping comes after Evans' publisher Pan Macmillan Australia moved to distance itself from the author.

"Pan Macmillan does not support the recent posts made by Pete Evans. Those views are not our views as a company or the views of our staff," the publishing company said in a statement.

"Pan Macmillan is currently finalising its contractual relationship with Pete Evans and as such will not be entering any further publishing agreements moving forward.

"If any retailer wishes to return Pete Evans' books please contact Pan Macmillan."

Evans has apologised online for any misunderstanding.

"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," Evans said in a post.

"I look forward to studying all of the symbols that have ever existed and research them thoroughly before posting."

He accompanied the post with an image of a multi-coloured heart.

"Hopefully this symbol resonates deeply into the hearts of ALL," he wrote.

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2020-11-17 03:27:00Z
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