Jon-Bernard Kairouz, more popularly known as “TikTok guy”, will plead ‘not guilty’ to inciting others at an anti-lockdown protest held in Sydney’s Central Business District last 24th of July.
Defying public health orders, he had allegedly spoke to a crowd of thousands during the protest.
He had dubbed himself as “the people’s premier” as he spoke to protestors cheering him on as they waved Australian flags and held signs rejecting masks and vaccines.
He exclaimed to about 3500 people in Sydney’s CBD that it was “time for freedom”.
The following day, NSW Police detectives issued him with a PIN (penalty infringement notice) for attending the protest.
Kairouz, who reportedly appeared nonchalant, told the detectives to “take it easy” and later deleted footage from the CBD protest from his Instagram account.
Bankstown Local Court heard on Tuesday that the 24-year-old had indicated that he will defend three charges; two counts of not complying with noticed direction and encouraging the commission of crime.
He will appear before the Downing Centre Local Court on October 26 along with 50 other co-accused.
BROKEN STREAK
Kairouz had risen to fame for accurately predicting the daily COVID-19 case numbers in NSW for five days in a row on TikTok.
After his winning streak of correct daily Covid predictions came to a sudden halt, he had claimed that the NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, had changed the sixth-day figure to discredit him.
Kairouz claimed “simple maths” was behind his accuracy and predicted that there would be 109 new local Covid-19 cases on July 19, but only 98 were announced.
Reports circulated before that day’s press conference that a “trap” had been set inside NSW Health to expose if someone was leaking the figures to Kairouz.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said he was disappointed by the leaks but denied that a “sting” had revealed the culprit.
Since Kairouz’s last prediction of 109, daily case numbers in NSW have soared into the thousands and Premier Berejiklian has said that, instead of daily case numbers, vaccination rates are now the focus.