Unmasked Zinzan pushes back

Former All Blacks No 8 Zinzan Brooke wants people to stop wearing masks and to end Covid-19 lockdowns in the UK where he lives, while also supporting a push against a vaccine passport.

Brooke, who played 58 rugby tests and 100 games for New Zealand from 1987-1997, has suddenly become a strong social media advocate against the use of masks to deal with the worldwide pandemic while also supporting pushes for controversial drugs Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.

Brooke’s Twitter account had been barely used over the past five years, but in the past months he has re-tweeted a string of posts calling for the UK public not to wear masks, for lockdowns and closures to stop and that plans for a possible vaccine passport ‘‘are just another attempt by a ‘Big Brother’ state to infiltrate our lives’’.

At the weekend, Brooke re-tweeted posts claiming ‘‘masks can harm children in schools’’ and encouraging people to leave their masks at home and claim they’re exempt from wearing one if questioned.

He also replied to a Twitter post which said the string of lockdowns in the UK were stopping the next Ronaldo, Wayne Gretzky or Kurt Cobain from happening. ‘‘Well said, mate,’’ Brooke replied. ‘‘I have 6 that are stuck at home – instead they should be on the rugby pitches, netball courts, football and hockey fields and in the dancing studios. Insanity.’’

The coronavirus has hit the UK hard, with England having more than three million cases since the outbreak early last year, while 120,000 deaths have been linked to the disease. There have been varying degrees of restrictions on the public for the past year, with a national lockdown in place in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with local differences.

Brooke has also indicated his dislike of a proposed vaccine passport to assist with opening up safer travel between countries.

‘People saying: ‘‘Vaccine Passports will give us back our freedom’’. Madness! The only thing digital certificates will give us is further restrictions and less control over our lives than at any time in my life,’’ Brooke re-posted from a fellow Twitter user.

Brooke was recently named as the sixth most influential Māori sports personality of the past 30 years.