Gary Lineker - foot in mouth again

[onegrumpyoldwoman]

I wish this guy would stick to football or selling crisps

Most recently, he gave an interview to Medhi Hassan (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/12/lineker-appears-to-call-oct-7-attacks-the-hamas-thing/ ) where he appeared to minimise the October 7th Hamas attacks as “the Hamas thing”, whilst falsely stating of the war in Gaza “I can’t think of anything that I’ve seen worse in my lifetime”. This statement is absurd hyperbole given that Mr Lineker was born in 1960 and has hence lived through major wars such as Vietnam, Iraq, Iran-Iraq, the Soviet and Western interventions in Afghanistan, and the Syrian Civil War, all of which have cost hundreds of thousands, in some cases millions, of lives.

I do not believe that it is compatible with Mr Lineker’s role as a presenter on Match of the Day, and hence an employee of our national public broadcaster, which is supposed to be politically impartial, for him to take such outspoken stances.

Just like some right wingers are thrilled by an Islamic terror attack in order to justify their views, there are a sizeable number on the Left who rejoice in Israeli offensives so they can let loose on their barely contained antisemitism. The position of the Palestinian people is awful - the question is why did Hamas choose to release such terror on their people? Is it because their puppet masters, Iran, on Putin's instructions, effectively diverted attention and, more importantly, resources away from Ukraine? I understand both Ukraine and Israel are desperate for the batteries needed for the air defence system they both use. We all know Putin cares little for life and those little Palestinian children - and the Israelis who suffered - have paid a terrible price.

I'm posting more info about Mr Lineker's interview as the original post was behind a paywall,

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13410495/Gary-Lineker-embroiled-Gaza-row-accused-tone-deaf-referring-October-7-terror-attacks-Israel-Hamas-thing.html

@Hélène79 Yes, I think this is the case to an extent although the Syrian civil war has had significant coverage in the mainstream news and across social media. Less people have given a toss though for some reason

I do agree to an extent with this. Asad is a brutal dictator and probably up there with the worst people of our time. However, Syria or Asad is not our ally and neither are we supplying him weapons so I don't think the two are quite comparable.

If all the people paid by me were able to voice their opinions I would imagine there would be vanishing little support at all for the slaughter of the Palestinians. He’s a grown man with a mainstream opinion who isn’t afraid to speak. I admire him for it and agree that watching the carnage unfolding in Palestine has been heart wrenching. Well said that man.

The bbc should sack this man. It is not his job role to spout out about politics and world affairs.

”the Hamas thing” is insulting. There was slaughter (is slaughter) going on with both hamas and Israel. No one should play down either. It’s disrespectful to the victims.

So do you all want Hamas to win?

That's a good point but don't forget about the horror of the war in Yemen, where we are supply arms to the Saudis.

I don't see any protesters jumping up and down by the railings of this building

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&mediaurl=http%3a%2f%2fmicrosoft.localdataimages.com%2f800_WM%2f2497%2f24970457.jpg&expw=800&exph=600&cbid=OLC.A3ehoD7kh9aueA480x360&cbn=local&idpp=local&thid=OLC.A3ehoD7kh9aueA480x360&ypid=YN1109x226766756&useBFPR=0&eeptype=PhotoGroups&dataGroup=local:datagroup.photos&PhotoGroupName=AllPhotos&PageTag=AllPhotos&selectedIndex=0&id=OLC.A3ehoD7kh9aueA480x360&q=saudi%20embassy%20london&pseg=Local&noidpclose=0&FORM=LOCIMG&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0

(btw that was a picture of the Saudi Embassy )

Yeah I agree with him. This is the most horrific abuse of power and loss of infrastructure and life in a short space of time that we have seen in recent history. It's the ongoing and relentless nature of it. The proven lies that have been used to justify a genocide. I agree with him.

People seem to think (I don't mean you OP 😊) that because someone is famous, it means their opinions on areas completely outside their chosen field are useful, or meaningful.

Would I seek Lineker's opinion on football, crisps or squeezing a sponsorship deal for all it's worth? Absolutely.

Would I seek his opinion on politics or any other issue? Absolutely not, the man's an idiot. A woke, virtue signalling idiot.

@Hélène79
I completely disagree that people did not give a toss about Syrians, people very much did "give a toss" in my country anyway, and we have taken in thousands of Syrian refugees as programme refugees and send tens of thousands in Humanitarian aid. No democratic nation supported Assad or funded his campaign against his people so there was not the same amount of protests but I guarantee if UK or US were sending arms to Assad there would have been uproar.
I always find it pretty insulting when people claim others didn't care about something what you are really saying is you didn't so you assume no one else did too.

“I can’t think of anything that I’ve seen worse in my lifetime”.

I completely agree with him. Telling him to stick to football, calling him a half wit and idiot doesn't change what he and a great many of us have seen.

Staggering such a post has been made. Bad old Gary Lineker eh 🙄

@onegrumpyoldwoman @LordPercyPercy My apologies, it was the ICJ, not ICC.

https://opiniojuris.org/2024/04/05/the-icjs-findings-on-plausible-genocide-in-gaza-and-its-implications-for-the-international-criminal-court/

Even so, it hasn't been ruled as a "genocide".

The jury's still out on that one.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/01/israel-must-comply-with-key-icj-ruling-ordering-it-do-all-in-its-power-to-prevent-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/#:~:text=The%20ruling%20issued%20by%20the,assistance%20to%20civilians%20in%20Gaza.

There has been no ruling on genocide, plausible or otherwise.

@onegrumpyoldwoman ok, at this stage it's been termed "plausible" genocide. Still looks pretty bad though, gotta admit?

But let's focus back on how "awful" lineker is for daring to highlight this.

How would you describe the silence on the Uyghurs then? Our Foreign Sec is right up China's backside.

When it comes to Israel, there's always an excuse about the fixation. Always.

(And I'm not particularly 'pro-Israel' btw - well not by the definition of posters on Mumsnet anyway).

@Dulra You might have cared, but a lot of people haven't. Well in the UK they very briefly did in 2015, but that Syrian's were being targeted with chemical weapons wasn't what they cared about.

@Dulra I attended marches calling for an end to the war in Syria. I know many others who did too so I'm not sure about that point that people didn't care then.
How Asad is not on trial in the Hague is beyond me for what he has done to his own people and his own country.

Public figure should keep within the bounds of their contracts, especially when taxpayers like me pay their wages.

Regardless of your opinion on his views, I think it's ridiculous to say that anyone paid by the bbc cannot speak about their political views.

Newsreaders and journalists, fair enough, they should be impartial.
Football pundits? No, I don't think they need to be.

@onegrumpyoldwoman

"Gary Lineker is paid by me (and every other licence payer) to be a football pundit not a political commentator."

• His football punditry job is on the BBC, at set broadcast times, not 24/7 and not on Xtwitter or other social media
• He did not use his BBC time on Match of the Day to say this
• He did not say that this was a BBC opinion, it's clearly his own.

Wanting the BBC to only employ people that toe a particular party line does not sound very democratic to me.

The right wing press do love to froth about his opinions though.

OP it's an opinion, feel free to disagree with it!

Yes, and Israel is complying with that order.

As requested they supplied a report detailing what they have done ( which involved declassifying a lot of military documents).

Incidentally, the ICJ said that Hamas must immediately release all the hostages unconditionally.

This has not happened.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/02/israel-defying-icj-ruling-to-prevent-genocide-by-failing-to-allow-adequate-humanitarian-aid-to-reach-gaza/

Israel defying ICJ ruling to prevent genocide by failing to allow adequate humanitarian aid to reach GazaOne month after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered “immediate and effective measures” to protect Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip from the risk of genocide by ensuring sufficient humanitarian assistance and enabling basic services, Israel has failed to take even the bare minimum steps to comply, Amnesty International said today.

The order to provide aid was one of six provisional measures ordered by the Court on 26 January and Israel was given one month to report back on its compliance with the measures. Over that period Israel has continued to disregard its obligation as the occupying power to ensure the basic needs of Palestinians in Gaza are met.

Israeli authorities have failed to ensure sufficient life-saving goods and services are reaching a population at risk of genocide and on the brink of famine due to Israel’s relentless bombardment and the tightening of its 16-year-long illegal blockade. They have also failed to lift restrictions on the entry of life-saving goods, or open additional aid access points and crossings or put in place an effective system to protect humanitarians from attack.

“Not only has Israel created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, but it is also displaying a callous indifference to the fate of Gaza’s population by creating conditions which the ICJ has said places them at imminent risk of genocide. Time and time again, Israel has failed to take the bare minimum steps humanitarians have desperately pleaded for that are clearly within its power to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” said Heba Morayef, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

“As the occupying power, under international law, Israel has a clear obligation to ensure the basic needs of Gaza’s population are met. Israel has not only woefully failed to provide for Gazans’ basic needs, but it has also been blocking and impeding the passage of sufficient aid into the Gaza Strip, in particular to the north which is virtually inaccessible, in a clear show of contempt for the ICJ ruling and in flagrant violation of its obligation to prevent genocide.”

Gary Lineker is paid by me (and every other licence payer) to be a football pundit not a political commentator.

He wasn't making the statement on match of the day. You paying him to be a football pundit doesn't mean you control his speech the entire time.

I bet if Lineker was rabidly pro Israel and kept spouting off about it he would be quickly shut down.

Does he get away with it because he is a contractor rather than direct employee? Wasn't he taken off air before for speaking out about something?