‘Years of baiting the Jewish community’ – Board calls for Lineker sacking
Football pundit's statement of regret after sharing a video about Zionism featuring a picture of a rat condemned as 'empty and belated'
The Board of Deputies has repeated its call for the BBC to part ways with Gary Lineker, despite the pundit’s apology for sharing a video on Zionism featuring a picture of a rat, citing his “years of baiting the Jewish community”.
Phil Rosenberg described Lineker’s apology as “empty and belated”, and “the first after years of baiting the Jewish community, just as levels of antisemitism soar. His use of social media has been unacceptable for too long.
“It is high time that the licence-fee payer ceases to be obliged to subsidise and amplify his bile.”
Lineker was widely condemned this week after sharing a video on Instagram titled “Zionism explained in less than two minutes”, which contained a picture of a rat next to the title. It was initially posted by a group called “Palestine Lobby” and contains an excerpt of comments by Diana Buttu, a former spokesperson for the PLO.
“They take the land, claim that its theirs and then they make concessions on land that doesn’t actually belong to them”, Ms Buttu states in the clip, going on to say that “the Zionist movement and Zionism on the ground is the idea of creating not only a Jewish state but at the expense of the indigenous Palestinian population. What Zionism is, is the idea of privileging and giving exclusive rights to one group of people at the expense of another group of people…there isn’t a single Zionist who’s able to say that they actually believe that Palestinians have the exact same rights as Israelis who are living in that country.”
Lineker removed the shared post on Tuesday. An initial statement was released later that day from a spokesperson for the former England player and Match of the Day pundit, saying that he “did not notice” the image of a rat, and that “if he had, he would not have made any connection”.
However, on Wednesday a further statement was released, this time directly in Lineker’s name.
“On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references. I very much regret these references”, it read.
“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.
“While 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.”
The Board met senior officials at the BBC earlier this year, calling on the Corporation to commit to a clear series of actions on content and culture.
In early 2024 Lineker shared, before subsequently deleting, a call for Israel to be banned from international sport. More recently, he criticised the BBC’s decision to remove a documentary on Gaza found to feature the son of a senior Hamas official, stating that the Corporation had “capitulated to lobbying that they get a lot.”
Last November the BBC confirmed that Mr Lineker would be leaving the BBC’s flagship football show, Match of the Day, at the end of the Premier League season, but confirmed that he would be hosting the corporation’s coverage of the 2026 World Cup.
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