Pete Evans banned from Instagram: Isabel Lucas compares chef to Jesus

Former Home and Away star Isabel Lucas has thrown her support behind anti-vaxxer and Covid denier Pete Evans, after he was booted from Instagram this week for spreading misinformation.

The 36-year-old actress shared a rambling Instagram post about ‘freedom of speech’ on Thursday in which she compared reckless conspiracy theorists such as Evans to philosopher Socrates and even Jesus Christ. 

Lucas began her post with a quote by English writer Evelyn Beatrice Hall, which read: ‘I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.’

She went on to write: ‘I have been wanting to speak about freedom of speech and censorship here for a long time.

‘If you are feeling cautious to ask worthy questions because of what bullies, or those who lack insight or compassion might say, may you remember the words of Evelyn Beatrice Hall.’ 

The Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen star then encouraged her fans to seek inspiration from ‘courageous’ people who were persecuted for expressing ‘their truth in the face of adversity’ – including Rosa Parks, John F. Kennedy, Socrates and Jesus. 

Elsewhere in her rant, Lucas warned that she’d been ‘hearing many conversations’ about the censorship her ‘friends are experiencing’.

‘Facebook, Instagram accounts are being removed, shadow banned and numerous YouTube videos deleted,’ she wrote.

Isabel said that deleting content that goes against ‘mainstream narratives’ prevents ‘humanitarians’ from expressing themselves, and from ‘shedding light on the uncomfortable truths that challenge us’.

Like Evans, Lucas has been making headlines in recent months for sharing her anti-vaxxer views online, having infamously revealed last April that she ‘doesn’t trust the path of vaccination’.  

Anti-vaxxers spread idiotic conspiracy theories with no basis in scientific fact. They claim that ‘boosting’ the immune system through diet, supplements and sunlight can make people immune to certain diseases, which is completely false.

Before vaccination campaigns in the 1960s and ’70s, diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough killed thousands of children, whereas today in Australia, dying from one of these is extremely rare

She also came under fire in April last year for promoting a baseless conspiracy theory about the 5G network.

In a statement on Instagram, Isabel wrote: ‘Freedom of speech is a human right Just two weeks ago the second top trending question on Google was ‘Is 5G safe?” 

In another controversial twist, Isabel and Pete were blasted in May last year for publicly praised dumped NRL star Bryce Cartwright for refusing the league’s mandatory flu shot. 

Then, in August, Isabel was caught going to great lengths to stay anonymous during a Zoom call with COVID-19 conspiracy theorists and lockdown critics – including Pete. 

On Wednesday, Facebook confirmed it had finally deleted former My Kitchen Rules judge Pete’s Instagram account. 

‘We removed Pete Evans’ account for repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines,’ the company said in a statement.  

‘We don’t allow anyone to share misinformation about Covid-19 that could lead to imminent physical harm or about Covid-19 vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts.’