Facebook and YouTube have taken down a video by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in which the far-right leader falsely claimed that the Covid-19 vaccination was linked to the development of AIDS.
The video, which was recorded on Thursday, was found to be in violation of Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s YouTube regulations.
In a statement released on Monday, a Facebook spokeswoman said, “Our policies don’t allow statements that Covid-19 vaccinations kill or significantly damage individuals.” Later that day, YouTube announced that it had taken the same action.
“We removed a video from Jair Bolsonaro’s channel for breaching our medical misinformation policy regarding Covid-19, saying that vaccines do not lessen the chance of catching the disease and that they promote other infectious diseases,” YouTube stated.
COVID-19 vaccinations certified by health regulators are safe for most people, including those living with HIV, the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, also known as AIDS, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS). Outside of business hours, Bolsonaro’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
YouTube pulled videos from Bolsonaro’s official channel in July in which he advocated for the use of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to treat Covid-19, despite scientific evidence that these treatments are ineffective.
Bolsonaro has avoided mentioning these medicines in his live broadcasts since then, claiming that the videos might be erased and supporting “early treatment” for Covid-19 in general. Jair Bolsonaro, who tested positive for the coronavirus in July of last year, attributed his moderate symptoms on taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial treatment. While Bolsonaro stated in January that he would not take the Covid-19 vaccine, he did promise to inoculate all Brazilians as soon as possible.
According to national newspapers O Estado de S.Paulo and O Globo, who cited a person acquainted with the situation, YouTube has suspended Bolsonaro for seven days in addition to removing the video.