Gary Lineker to step down from BBC after sharing social media post on Zionism

Did he involved in middle east genocide? NO at all, however he got fired.

Being Anti Zionist or condoning it's agenda and policies is NOT antisemitic, even Jews acknowledge that.

Zionists are NOT Semitic, and many are NOT even Jewish.

illustrated with a picture of a rat, titled: “Zionism explained in two minutes.”

That's really disrespectful to rats.

Rats, linked to disease and dirt, have been used to represent Jews in antisemitic propaganda throughout history, including by the Nazis in 1930s Germany.

Rats are no dirtier than cats or dogs. In fact, rats are very clean, very intelligent and make AMAZING pets. They are every bit as loyal and as loving as any dog.

Being Anti Zionist or condoning it's agenda and policies is NOT antisemitic, even Jews acknowledge that.

Exactly, Zionism is a political ideology. Judaism is a religion. The 2 are mutually exclusive.

Being Anti Zionist or condoning its agenda and policies is NOT antisemitic, even Jews acknowledge that.

Did you even read the article? It’s because he shared a post which had a picture of a rat illustrated with a picture of a rat, titled: “Zionism explained in two minutes.” Associating Jews with rats is a common anti-Semitic attack.

Being Anti Zionist or condoning it's agenda and policies is NOT antisemitic, even Jews acknowledge that.

While that is true, posting a picture of a rat in conjunction with a piece on anti-Zionism is clearly at the very least an anti-Semitic move.

Nazi Germany used comparisons with rats/vermin to dehumanise Jews.

This led to the holocaust "final solution"

Lineker knew full well the implication of his antisemitic hate tweets

Rats: the history of an incendiary cartoon trope

From early 20th-century US scaremongers to Nazi propagandists, there is a long tradition of cartoonists depicting their targets as vermin but not everyone believes a recent Daily Mail cartoon was racist

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/shortcuts/2015/nov/18/rats-the-history-of-an-incendiary-cartoon-trope

Good riddance

Lineker acknowledged the mistake. I don’t see anything in his past to suggest he’d knowingly do this

Nobody should be defending the kind of imagery in this garbage tweet.

Any further doubts to the use of such "Propaganda"

Then prepare, its truly shocking

https://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/sturmer.htm

Lineker knew full well the implication of his antisemitic hate tweets

You are using the plural.

I don’t remember his antisemitic hate tweets.

When was this? Why wasn’t he fired earlier?

Poor Gary didn't get the memo. Zionists cannot be criticized they are the "chosen ones".

Even when the commit genocide.

Poor Gary didn't get the memo. Zionists cannot be criticized they are the "chosen ones".

He didn’t get fired for criticizing Zionism, he got fired for sharing a post that associated rats with zionists. It’s a common anti-Semitic attack.

Whoever you cannot offend is he who rules the world. As for the peons, they can be slaughtered with impunity.

Whoever you cannot offend is he who rules the world.

Do you think he wouldn’t be fired for posting racist caricatures of any other group? Get real

Did some people miss the part where Lineker apologized for retweeting something with a notorious antisemitic image?

This isn’t an insignificant detail.

Lineker earned over £1.35 million at the BBC but will get no payoff.

It depends, if one views, I would personally consider Lineker calling for the BBC to reinstate its Gaza documentary as legitimate criticism..

Gary Lineker pro-Palestine stance amid this antisemitism row is blunt.

'If you're silent on Gaza, you're complicit'

I have been unable to find any post from Gary Lineker directly condemning 7th October, just an insistence that Isreal response were an "overreaction" 

However, some media outlets have linked his opinion an underlying distaste for Jews

Gary Lineker among 500 media figures urging BBC to reinstate Gaza documentary

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/feb/26/gary-lineker-among-500-media-figures-urging-bbc-to-reinstate-gaza-documentary

Lineker has delivered, some would consider a genuine apology.

The cynic in me could suggest this to be, “damage limitation” to save his reputation career

"Gary Lineker to step down from BBC after sharing social media post on Zionism."

Think, type, post/ submit could have solved Gary Lineker lots of headaches.

Nazi Germany used comparisons with rats/vermin to dehumanise Jews.

This led to the holocaust "final solution"

You need more than an emoji to dehumanize an ethnic group. See how the Israelis, their allies and their shamelessly pro-zionist western propagandists like the insufferable BBC do it. Gary Lineker is a decent man and he was fired for his decency telling the world what his lying eyes were showing him.

Lineker has been critical of UK government policy, welfare cuts etc., and the genocide in Gaza on his personal platforms for a long time.

Government and Israel supporters have criticized this multiple times and succeeded in getting him kicked off Match of the Day. This naive and unfortunate rat tweet has simply accelerated the BBC ousting him altogether. I've not seen it but anyone claiming to speak for Palestine who uses imagery that is remotely similar to the Nazis is careless to the point of idiocy. Its the type of thing you would do on purpose to undermine fully justified criticism of Israel.

As even Sky News has pointed out, the BBC has a long history of employing people who give political opinions on other platforms. Andrew Neil was their top politics man while editing an explicitly right wing publication called the Spectator. There are many others. Lineker was a problem because the Daily Mail etc. didn't like his opinions, not because he was particularly extreme or was abusing his job at the BBC.

This comes down to the issue of whether a popular figure who works for the de facto national broadcaster can separate his personal views from his work.

If it is perceived that he is speaking for anyone beyond himself, then the problems start.

As an individual, he has as much right as everyone else to comment and opine on world affairs.

This will be politicised to the ends of the earth and back, of course, but I think he will come out of it well. He was a hugely popular player and he's a hugely popular pundit.

....and there is no such thing as "the Jewish Lobby "....

A real shame, because he has been an exceptional football pundit. Unfortunately his politics don't fit the current narrative. As a white straight male with a personal political conscience that doesn't match that of the establishment, his days were numbered. If you watch one of the serious BBC current affairs programmes, you'll already know that certain politics are allowed to be spoken, while others are not.

In a world where just criticising violent zionism is more criminal than murdering thousands of children, and carrying out ethnic cleansing.

Champion player, great and insightful commentator.

The BBC has made a big mistake here. Their loss will be another networks' gain. All the best to Mr Lineker.

You need more than an emoji to dehumanize an ethnic group.

It’s not an emoji that’s dehumanizing. It’s the history of dehumanization behind the animal the emoji is referencing. Stop being intentionally obtuse you know this

....and there is no such thing as "the Jewish Lobby "....

There are plenty of animal comparisons that have been used as racial attacks on various groups throughout history, and any one of them would have resulted in him losing his job just like he is now.

In a world where just criticising violent zionism is more criminal than murdering thousands of children, and carrying out ethnic cleansing.

For like the third time he didn’t get fired for criticizing Zionism. Is it illegal for the pro-Hamas crowd to read or something?

J Bone...next week you will be promoting "free speech "

The "Jewish Lobby " is real....a little hypersensitive....and attacks other Jews as much as non Jews.

In the new world of hypervigilance are we all in danger of upsetting some self appointed moral warriors belonging to a religious class ?

We had/have a political party in Australia whose platform includes "No new Mosques to be built "

We had a POTUS who tried to ban "Muslim immigrants "

I remember civil disturbance in the UK over Muslim migrants.

So, one rule for one group, another rule for the other.?

Now an apology is not enough, bring out the stocks and the hair shirt.....

J Bone...next week you will be promoting "free speech "

I don’t think you understand what free speech means. I do promote free speech. I don’t support him being arrested for his tweet but in a free society companies have the right to fire employee’s who publicly share anti-Semitic material

J Bone...this comment shows you DONT support free speech.

If the repercussions mean losing your livelihood, not very "free " is it ?

J Bone...this comment shows you DONT support free speech.

If the repercussions mean losing your livelihood, not very "free " is it ?

No, you literally dont understand what free speech means. Free speech is guarantee against government restrictions on speech, not private. You do understand the difference between the public and private, right?

If the repercussions mean losing your livelihood, not very "free " is it ?

You don’t have a right to say whatever you want on public property. Do you think you should be able to yell racist slurs at your job with completely 0 repercussions?

Lineker stated he only cares about "doing the right thing, or what I think is the right thing".

"It’s beyond depraved, what they’re [the Palestinian people] are going through, unimaginable," .

"I don’t know how the world thinks this is OK. We still seem to be on the side of the people who are doing this. We’re still supplying arms. And you think, ‘Wow, how?’ The vast majority of people see it for what it is now."

LBC reportedly asked Lineker if he was only reacting to one side of the story in the Middle East, having not posted anything on his social media on the day of the October 7 attacks, Lineker argued that the Israeli response had been "completely out of proportion".

Lineker continued

"Palestinians are caged in this outdoor prison in Gaza, and now it’s an outdoor prison that they’re bombing. Israel say it’s self-defence, but really? Self-defence against what now?" .

"Yes, I understand that they needed to avenge, but I don’t think they’ve helped their own hostage situation at all. People say it’s a complex issue, but I don’t think it is. It’s inevitable that the Israeli occupation was going to cause massive problems, and I just feel for the Palestinians.”

I suggest Lineker is fully aware of his tweet, its content, the video, its source.

You don’t have a right to say whatever you want on public property

private property*

Lineker Is highly selective about his condemnation of Israel, yet quite willing to ignore Qatar appalling record on human rights

Weasel words when it comes to his “earnings” 

World Cup 2022: Gary Lineker in Qatar to 'report, not support' controversial tournament

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/63680680

For complexity, I googled "The Rat in Mythology "

Has a varied , interesting history in most cultures from China to Ancient Greek.

In the Chinese Zodiac.

Now, apparently the little blighter has been appropriated and can mean only one thing.

I am "agnostic " about "free speech "....pretty clear bias against "straw man argument " though.

@itsonlyrocknroll

"Nazi Germany used comparisons with rats/vermin to dehumanise Jews.

This led to the holocaust "final solution"

Lineker knew full well the implication of his antisemitic hate tweets"

Not having been born during the 1940s I had never heard of rats being used as a comparison to dehumanize Jews and being younger than me, I imagine Gary Lineker hadn't either.

For complexity, I googled "The Rat in Mythology "

Has a varied , interesting history in most cultures from China to Ancient Greek.

In the Chinese Zodiac.

Now, apparently the little blighter has been appropriated and can mean only one thing.

You are being intentionally obtuse. You would never make this argument for other races and animal comparisons

I am "agnostic " about "free speech "....pretty clear bias against "straw man argument " though.

Just admit you can’t answer my question. I’ll ask one more time so everyone can see you flounder: Do you think you should be able to yell racist slurs at your job with completely 0 repercussions?

Hopefully Lineker's actions bring more attention to the current conflict in Gaza (and West Bank) and by current conflict, I mean the genocide that Israel, Netanyahu, and his cronies are conducting. The Japanese government should and could do a lot more also on this issue.

JBone...who "yelled racist abuse in the workplace "?

Now, google..."straw man argument "

He did well...and antisionism Is not being antisemitic....and btw, it's not a war between 2 armies, but a genocide.

You see, nobody yelled "racist abuse in the workplace "

Someone tweeted something which another, more organised group, deemed offensive.

It would be interesting to follow the trail of e mails, phone calls and all the rest to see the weight of influence one group uses to punish individuals .

Its not a secret....the US has a new branch who openly say " we are not very nice "

I wont give the name because any publicity helps them.

Apparently the world revolves around a certain geographical area in the Middle East.

JBone...who "yelled racist abuse in the workplace "?

Now, google..."straw man argument "

That’s not a strawman argument. I’m offering a hypothetical to see if your principle on what constitutes as free speech applies across different hypothetical situations. A strawman is setting up an argument you didn’t make and tearing that down instead. It seems like you should be the one looking up “straw man argument” because you have no idea what it means.

So if you think that “If the repercussions mean losing your livelihood, not very "free " is it ?” (your exact words) constitutes as a violation of free speech, does then firing someone for using racial slurs in the office also constitute a violation of free speech? It’s a very simple question that you continue to avoid, probably because you know you’ve been cornered in your inconsistency

You see, nobody yelled "racist abuse in the workplace "

That’s doesn’t matter. You stated: “If the repercussions mean losing your livelihood, not very "free " is it ?”. If I yelled racist abuse in the work place I would lose my livelihood. According to your definition, that would be a violation of free speech. Yes or no?

Exactly, Zionism is a political ideology. Judaism is a religion. The 2 are mutually exclusive.

Are you sure about that? It is possible for one to be a Jew and a Zionist, making them mutually inclusive.

Denouncing the atrocities of the Zionist regime's genocide against innocent Palestinians is not anti-Semitism; it is calling for justice, mercy, and compassion for the innocent and defenseless.

Well done Gary, keep fighting..

Denouncing the atrocities of the Zionist regime's genocide against innocent Palestinians is not anti-Semitism

That’s not what is being condemned as anti-Semitic. It’s the rat comparison.

Sports “celebrity” the belief a “Mr Nice”, armed with political activist opinion/agenda, from a platform of an esteemed public broadcaster, a “sport presenter” should be received, taken, dismissed at face value,   

Gary Lineker sanctimony, his self-righteous harping, now to be believed as naivety, is in fact self-explanatory.   

Gary Lineker the "politican" only has himelf to blame.

sakurasuki

Did he involved in middle east genocide? NO at all, however he got fired.

A "genocide" is the systematic erasure of a people. Misusing he word for a war situation devalues the term and is inexcusable. If every conflict is a "genocide", then nothing is.

If you want to use the term then apply it to Hamas Oct 7 massacre. But somehow that event is forgotten in the media bubble.

Being a good and decent person is a crime these days.

If you want to know who controls you, just find out who you're not allowed to criticize.

Rats are no dirtier than cats or dogs. In fact, rats are very clean, very intelligent and make AMAZING pets. They are every bit as loyal and as loving as any dog. 

Please don’t lump dogs along with cats.

I’ve never seen a cat rolling on dead animals or faeces as I’ve seen dogs do.

>

I wonder how many Palestine supporters will stop paying their BBC fees.

So Linekar is even branded a bigot these days. BBC is a mess, just like at what they done to Dr Who, it’s scandalous.