Steven Birch was arrested and charged under the Disaster Management Act when he spread fake news regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Hours after appearing in court, he said he would do it all again as he believes he is ”protecting lives”.
Birch, who is a resident of Parow, first became known to the public when he posted a video of himself with an earbud up his nose, and spoke about how the COVID-19 testing swabs were contaminated with the virus and spread the illness.
He appeared before the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, April 7 before being released on a warning. He will be back in court in July 14.
“The magistrate released me on warning. I am not allowed to give any comment, my lawyers said I cannot talk to the media. But I am saying if I had the choice of doing it again, I would,” Birch said to IOL. ‘The bottom line is I was interested in saving lives. The actions I took were in that interest, and that is it. I will not go back on my actions, and that is what I believe.”
The regulation Birch is charged under was created to curb the spread of fake news pertaining to the coronavirus. This includes the measure being undertaken by the government in dealing with COVID-19.
Also read: Video claiming ‘contaminated’ testing kits is fake news
Picture: Stephen Birch/Facebook
