Council cancels dance party after complaints about anti-vaxxer campaigner

Anti-vaccination campaigner, David ‘avocado’ Wolfe. Pic: Instagram.

 

 

Inner West Council has cancelled a dance party that is being MC’d by controversial American anti-vaccinating crusader David Avocado Wolfe, after receiving a barrage of complaints from residents.

They Sydney council pulled the Raw Cacao Dance Party at Marrickville Town Hall tomorrow (Saturday) after numerous complaints from residents and local Member of Parliament, Summer Hill MP Jo Haylen.

Mr Wolfe was supposed to be presiding over the drug and alcohol-free event, where ravers sip raw cacao smoothies with tonic herbs and eat raw, organic food, but his presence stirred up strong feelings in the community.

On his website, Mr Wolfe calls himself “the rock star and Indiana Jones of the superfoods and longevity universe” but he is also vocally opposed to vaccines, calling them unsafe, and he insists that herd immunity can only be gained naturally, not by vaccination. 

Inner West Council said it had to pull the event because it did not condone Mr Wolfe’s views.

“Council should have been forewarned about Mr Wolfe’s attendance by the event organisers,” said the Administrator of Inner West Council, Richard Pearson.

“Over the past few days, we have tried to reassure our residents that vaccinations and immunisation would not be discussed at the event, and we obtained a written statement from the organisers that this would be the case.

“It is clear that our community feels extremely strongly about Mr Wolfe and his highly unconventional views, particularly around the issue of vaccinations. They have made it clear that they feel hosting Mr Wolfe in a Council-owned venue is a validation and endorsement of his anti-immunisation stance.”

He said the council was a ‘significant provider of childcare services and an unequivocal supporter of child immunisation and vaccination programs’ and did not wish to be associated with anti-vaccination views in any way.

The company in charge of producing the event, Superfeast, said Mr Wolfe’s views on vaccinations were unrelated to the event’s message, which was about nutrition, wellness and detoxification.

“Our interest as a company and for the event is enhancing all the participant’s health practices and goals… we would like to reiterate that the tour is not, nor ever has been promoted as having anything to do with vaccinations,” said a Superfeast spokesperson told WA Today, ahead of a similar event in Perth next weekend.

“David’s personal opinion on vaccinations has nothing to do with the work he is bringing to Australia. We have hired him to deliver events purely focused on wellness, nutrition and having the best health that you can possibly have, regardless of your beliefs or choices.”

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