BBC host Gary Lineker deletes Instagram post featuring a rat emoji alongside an anti-Zionist video, after backlash from Jewish groups who call for his dismissal from the British broadcaster.
British broadcaster Gary Lineker is once again facing intense criticism after sharing an Instagram story that included antisemitic imagery.
The story, originally posted by the group “Palestine Lobby,” was titled “Zionism explained in two minutes” and featured a graphic of a rat—an image long associated with antisemitic propaganda, particularly under Nazi Germany.
The story was swiftly deleted by Lineker, whose agent told the BBC that he removed it “immediately” upon realizing the symbolism of the rat image.
“Whilst viewing and reposting a video, Gary did not notice a rodent emoticon added by the author of the post. Although if he had, he would not have made any connection. The repost has been removed,” the agent claimed.
Nevertheless, the post drew outrage from Jewish organizations. Campaign Against Antisemitism announced it would be submitting a formal complaint to the BBC.
“Nothing to see here. Just Gary Lineker’s Instagram account sharing an anti-Israel video misrepresenting Zionism, complete with a rat emoji,” the group wrote in a post on X, adding, “His continued association with the BBC is untenable. He must go.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews echoed this call. A spokesperson told the Daily Mail, “He has caused great offense with this video – particularly with his egregious use of a rat emoji to illustrate Zionists. The BBC should ask him to leave now rather than allowing him to dictate his own terms.”
When approached, the BBC referred media inquiries to its general guidance on social media use, declining to comment on the specific incident.
Lineker, a former England soccer player, was taken off air by bosses at the BBC in March of 2023 after comparing the launch of the Conservatives’ new policy to the rhetoric of Nazi-era Germany. He was back on the air a week later.
In 2024, Lineker came under fire from MPs and Jewish leaders after retweeting a call for Israel to be banned from international soccer games.
The BBC has long been criticized for its blatant anti-Israel bias. This criticism has increased since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.
In November of 2023, the corporation published an apology after falsely claiming that IDF troops were targeting medical teams in battles in and around the Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
Before that, the BBC falsely accused Israel of being responsible for an explosion at a hospital in Gaza, which the IDF proved was caused by an Islamic Jihad rocket. The network later acknowledged that “it was false to speculate” on the explosion.British broadcaster Gary Lineker is once again facing intense criticism after sharing an Instagram story that included antisemitic imagery.
The story, originally posted by the group “Palestine Lobby,” was titled “Zionism explained in two minutes” and featured a graphic of a rat—an image long associated with antisemitic propaganda, particularly under Nazi Germany.
The story was swiftly deleted by Lineker, whose agent told the BBC that he removed it “immediately” upon realizing the symbolism of the rat image.
“Whilst viewing and reposting a video, Gary did not notice a rodent emoticon added by the author of the post. Although if he had, he would not have made any connection. The repost has been removed,” the agent claimed.
Nevertheless, the post drew outrage from Jewish organizations. Campaign Against Antisemitism announced it would be submitting a formal complaint to the BBC.
“Nothing to see here. Just Gary Lineker’s Instagram account sharing an anti-Israel video misrepresenting Zionism, complete with a rat emoji,” the group wrote in a post on X, adding, “His continued association with the BBC is untenable. He must go.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews echoed this call. A spokesperson told the Daily Mail, “He has caused great offense with this video – particularly with his egregious use of a rat emoji to illustrate Zionists. The BBC should ask him to leave now rather than allowing him to dictate his own terms.”
When approached, the BBC referred media inquiries to its general guidance on social media use, declining to comment on the specific incident.
Lineker, a former England soccer player, was taken off air by bosses at the BBC in March of 2023 after comparing the launch of the Conservatives’ new policy to the rhetoric of Nazi-era Germany. He was back on the air a week later.
In 2024, Lineker came under fire from MPs and Jewish leaders after retweeting a call for Israel to be banned from international soccer games.
The BBC has long been criticized for its blatant anti-Israel bias. This criticism has increased since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.
In November of 2023, the corporation published an apology after falsely claiming that IDF troops were targeting medical teams in battles in and around the Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
Before that, the BBC falsely accused Israel of being responsible for an explosion at a hospital in Gaza, which the IDF proved was caused by an Islamic Jihad rocket. The network later acknowledged that “it was false to speculate” on the explosion.
This past September, a report found that the BBC violated its own editorial guidelines more than 1,500 times during the first four months of the war between Israel and Hamas, and noted “deeply worrying pattern of bias” against the Jewish state during that period.
In March, the British corporation issued an apology after using footage of the Israeli city of Tiberias – located well within Israel’s internationally recognized borders – while discussing “settlements” in the Golan Heights.
