11/03/2023
It is well known that Gary Lineker is opinionated and that he tweets a lot.
Whilst he does tweet about football, the tweets that grab the most attention seem to be the political ones.
He has faced criticism from many people suggesting he stick to the football, with some suggesting he doesn't have the right to air his views. Quite why those who demand he stops tweeting about politics feel they have the right to attack him, but he doesn't have the right to challenge social injustice, is beyond me.
The BBC has, it seems, decided enough is enough. Following his latest tweets, criticising the Home Secretary's inhumane stance on immigration, they have forced him to step back from his role presenting Match of the Day.
There has been outrage from some Tory MPs and supporters at Lineker's choice of words, comparing the language used by Suella Braverman to that used in 1930s Germany. Some have said he called Braverman a Nazi, which is not what he did. Some have said that he compared her actions to the holocaust, which is again not what he did.
He was comparing the language used by the government in respect of asylum seekers, to that which was used by fascists in Germany in the 1930s, when Hitler and Goebbels continually demonised the Jewish people and convinced a large proportion of the German nation that Jews were their enemy.
The comparison is fair.
Lineker was not saying that Braverman is guilty of the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis, and it doesn't matter how many Conservative MPs or xenophobic bigots claim this to be the case; it still won't be true.
It is good to see that so many fellow sports presenters, football players and managers have spoken out in support of Lineker, refusing to take his place or engage in interviews at this time. Some have pulled out of other BBC sports shows too.
The vast majority of posts on social media also appear to be siding with the football pundit. There have been some Tweets from extreme right individuals, spouting their usual hateful agenda, but these have been swamped with people pointing out how wrong they are.
The BBC have got this badly wrong, succumbing to pressure from Conservative MPs and the garbage from the right wing press. Will they back down and let Lineker continue his long term position as the face of Match of the Day? Will this actually turn out to be a career ending error from the BBC boss Tim Davie?
What would be good to see, is this government admitting the illegality of its inhumane migrant policy. It's time this government stopped seeking to attract the support of xenophobes. It's time they put a system in place that enables asylum seekers to submit an application before taking on the dangerous journeys to our shores.
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