England football great and TV presenter Gary Lineker is once again at the centre of controversy, drawing backlash within the BBC.
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England football legend and BBC presenter Gary Lineker has “apologised unreservedly” for sharing a video criticising Zionism and included an illustration of a rat. The video features Palestinian-Canadian lawyer Diana Buttu, who says that Zionism is a system that prioritises one group and ignores the rights of Palestinians.
The original poster of the video also included a rat emoji, which has been criticised as a Nazi-era anti-semitic propaganda.
Why Gary Lineker apologised?
Lineker has since deleted the Instagram story post and offered an apology. “On Instagram, I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references. I very much regret these references,” he said in a statement.
“I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in. The post was removed as soon as I became aware of the issue.
“Whilst I strongly believe in the importance of speaking out on humanitarian issues, including the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, I also know that how we do so matters.
“I take full responsibility for this mistake. That image does not reflect my views. It was an error on my part for which I apologise unreservedly.”
Nonetheless, the damage is already done and pro-Israel groups are now demanding that BCC sack him. The Campaign Against Antisemitism has said that it would make a formal complaint to the BBC.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews has said that the BBC “should ask him [Lineker] to leave now rather than allowing him to dictate his own terms”.
A report in The Telegraph also states that some of the BBC staff are surprised that Lineker has not been sacked yet.
Interestingly, Linkeker’s apology came hours after BBC director general Tim Davie said the employees of the broadcasters must adhere to the company’s social media guidelines.
“The BBC’s reputation is held by everyone and when someone makes a mistake, it costs us,” Davie said.
“And I think we absolutely need people to be the exemplars of BBC values and follow our social media policies, simple as that.”
Lineker’s past conflicts with BBC
Remember, Gary Lineker was briefly taken off air by the BBC in March 2023 following a controversy over his comments criticising the government’s asylum policy, which raised questions about impartiality.
In February, he joined around 500 prominent individuals in signing an open letter calling on the BBC to reinstate the documentary Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone on BBC iPlayer.
While Lineker revealed in November that he would step down as the host of Match of the Day, he confirmed he would continue to front the BBC’s coverage of the World Cup and FA Cup.
