THE BBC is facing calls to sack Gary Lineker after the presenter shared a pro-Gaza video that likened supporters of Israel to rats.
The outgoing match of the day host sparked fury after featuring on his Instagram a vermin emoji that has been used for decades, including by the Nazis, as antisemitic slur.
The rat accompanied footage of a Canadian-Palestinian lawyer attacking the war in Gaza.
Responding to the post, former Labour MP Lord Austin said: “For too long Gary Lineker has been flagrantly abusing his position as the best-paid presenter at the BBC to promote his deeply biased views.
“Now he has gone too far, sharing material that whether he knows it or not is redolent of the vilest anti-Jewish racism.
“He cannot be allowed to stay in position, let alone be the face of World Cup coverage.
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“The BBC must act now.” Danny Cohen, former director of BBC Television, said: “Gary Lineker appears to have shared content about the Jewish State which echoes 1930s Nazi propaganda.
“This is utterly grim. The BBC’s Director General Tim Davie has a simple question to answer: does he tolerate the BBC’s flagship presenters sharing content that has historically been used as an antisemitic slur?”
The controversial post comes weeks after the Match of the Day presenter told the Beeb presenter Amol Rajan that he has a right to express his opinion on topics including Gaza.
He said: “I know where I stand on this.
“I’m sorry. It’s more important than the BBC.
“What’s going on there is the mass murder of thousands of children is probably something that we should have a little opinion on.”
