Tories gang up on Gary Lineker for calling out Nazi policy
Tories are ganging up on sports presenter Gary Lineker after he likening the Conservative Party’s asylum policy as “not dissimilar to that used by (Nazi) Germany in the (19)30s.” Far-right Tory MPs reckon the popular BBC presenter should be sacked.
The Match of the Day presenter took to Twitter to remark on a video posted by the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, detailing the UK’s immigration policy. Lineker’s Twitter account has since been suspended.
On Tuesday, the government announced its intention to prevent anyone who arrives in the UK through an illegal route from seeking asylum. In addition, individuals who have entered the country illegally will be barred from returning and obtaining British citizenship in the future.
These measures are part of an effort to tackle the rising number of individuals who have been crossing the Channel to enter the UK each year. In 2018, the number of such crossings was roughly 300, while in 2022, it had soared to over 45,000.
Lineker tweeted…
“Good heavens, this is beyond awful.”
The 62 year old former England striker was slammed by some for criticizing Braverman but he stood his ground, adding…
“We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
“This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in a language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?”
The former Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, and Tottenham Hotspur striker was referring to Braverman’s racist rhetoric and hate speech.
In the past she has referred to asylum seekers entering the UK as an “invasion,” called Albanians “criminals,” screamed “Enough is enough” and “we must stop the boats.”
Good heavens, this is beyond awful. https://t.co/f0fTgWXBwp
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 7, 2023
Nimco Ali, a campaigner and survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM), an independent Government adviser on tackling violence against women and girls in 2020, said Braverman’s “crazy rhetoric” on migrants is stoking an increase in racism and enabling Nigel Farage-types.
Tory MPs, on the other hand, are not happy with the former golden boy of England footballer.
Conservative Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson said Lineker was “out of touch” and should stick to football.
Writing on Twitter following Lineker’s comments on Tuesday, Anderson said the presenter had “piped up again with his virtue-signalling nonsense.
“This is just another example of how out of touch these overpaid stars are with the voting public. Instead of lecturing, Mr Lineker should stick to reading out the football scores and flogging crisps.”
Anderson is hardly one to take the moral high ground.
The 56 year old was criticised for staging a door knock while he was being filmed for a report by Channel 4 News. He suggested “nuisance tenants” should be evicted into tents in a field to pick vegetables, something the Labour Party compared to “forced labour camps.”
Anderson was also investigated by the party over claims of antisemitism. The investigation was opened because he was an active member of a Facebook group in which other members supported Tommy Robinson and promoted George Soros conspiracy theories.
Linekar has been critical of the Conservative Party on several issues, including Brexit. In October, Lineker was found to have violated impartiality rules by the BBC’s complaints unit due to a tweet in which he questioned if the party would return donations from Russian donors. The tweet came after then-Foreign Secretary Liz Truss encouraged Premier League teams to boycott the Champions League final in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
In 2018, BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew called on him to “keep your political views… to yourself.” Lineker responded: “I’m the face of my own Twitter account. I’ll continue to tweet what I like and if folk disagree with me then so be it.”
However, the BBC’s editorial guidelines emphasize the importance of impartiality in all content, including social media posts made by staff and presenters. Such comments may affect perceptions of the BBC’s impartiality.
The BBC further stated that appropriate internal processes would be implemented if required and that Lineker would be reminded of his responsibilities.
