Gary Lineker blasted for continued silence as Jewish schools forced to shut: 'This is 1930s Germany Gary!'

Gary Lineker blasted for continued silence as Jewish schools forced to shut: 'This is 1930s Germany Gary!'

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GB NEWS
Alex Davies

By Alex Davies


Published: 13/10/2023

- 15:14

Updated: 13/10/2023

- 15:21

Four schools in London have shut today as a rise in antisemitism fears continue

Gary Lineker has been slammed by a number of critics for his continued silence on the Hamas-Israel conflict - despite his vocal criticism of the UK government in the past.

The violence which broke out in Gaza and Israel has sparked fears that anti-Semitic attacks in the UK could rise and as such, some schools have shut their doors as a precautionary measure.


As a result, Lineker's previous rhetoric attacking the UK government, in particular Home Secretary Suella Braverman, has been used to highlight the seeming hypocrisy of his silence.

Lineker tweeted in response to Suella Braverman's Illegal Migration Bill back in March: "There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.

"This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?"

The reference to "1930s Germany" sparked outrage at the time and led to him being taken off air by the Beeb only to return to his spot a few days later.

His previous use of the language, however, has provided the basis for critics to slam his decision to seemingly stay silent on the ongoing crisis.

Gary Lineker smiling

Gary Lineker has refused to comment on Jewish school closures

PA

On X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan raised the point as they commented: "Hey @GaryLineker you're keen on spotting links between modern Britain and 1930s Germany.

"Here's one for you, Jewish schoolchildren being unable to attend schools for fear of attack. Perhaps you could raise awareness of it."

Elsewhere, a second shared a news article of the school closures and wrote: "Just so you know @GaryLineker this is what 1930s Germany look like."

"Any comment relating to 1930s Germany yet Gary?" a third asked the presenter, while a fourth tweeted: "Where is Gary Lineker and his '1930s Germany' now?"

Lineker has been active on X to promote a new episode of his podcast, although this was criticised as one social media user put: "Glad you’re having a lovely time while Jewish schools are having to shut, Gary.

"Not hearing so many echoes of 1930s Germany now, are you?"

He also shared a series of clapping emojis in response to the Premier League's statement which stated it was "shocked and saddened by the escalating crisis in Israel and Gaza".

The Premier League's statement also said it "strongly condemns the horrific and brutal acts of violence against innocent civilians" before stating players, managers and match officials will wear black armbands during the next round of fixtures as "a mark of respect for all those affected".

While Lineker has avoided sharing his thoughts on the current state of affairs in the Middle East and its reverberations in the UK, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has addressed the school closure.

When asked if it relates to a specific threat or safety concern, Mr Shapps said: “Well there’s obviously broader threats, not specific, including some of the absolutely disgusting material we have seen from Hamas who are a terrorist organisation who threaten people all the time.

"So this is really to do with the security of the community, and the Jewish community itself taking decisions. The Government has stepped in with further money in order to work with the community.

Fire in IsraelThe fighting between Israel and Palestine began on SaturdayReuters

"People are very concerned, and it’s not surprising when you hear the language coming out of some of these organisations and their supporters."

Addressing the closures, David Landua, the chair of Menorah High School which is one of the affected schools, told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "We have this situation where we have an international day of rage called for.

"We've had horrible demonstrations in London openly displaying antisemitism and celebrating Jewish deaths. Individually, our school is fairly isolated from the community.

"We're out there out there on our own and we felt there was significant risk to the kids, ultimately we're worried that on a day like this that an individual might do something outstandingly stupid and it's very difficult to control against that."

Hamas' brutal first terror attack at the weekend killed over 1,300 people while Israel's retaliation in the form of airstrikes claimed over 1,500 lives.

The terror group is also believed to have around 150 hostages while Israel has urged 1.1 million Palestinians to flee Gaza as it prepares its next steps.

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