The BBC is facing renewed pressure to immediately sack Gary Lineker after the outgoing Match Of The Day presenter shared a pro-Palestine video featuring a rat emoji on Instagram, which critics say is an anti-Semitic trope.
The controversial post, which appears to have been deleted from Lineker's Instagram story, has sparked outrage among Jewish organisations.
With Lineker set to leave his Match Of The Day hosting duties at the end of this month's Premier League season, the BBC is being urged to axe the former England captain rather than allowing him to depart on his own terms.
The footage shared by Lineker featured content from the group Palestine Lobby.
The BBC is facing renewed pressure to immediately sack Gary Lineker after the outgoing Match Of The Day presenter shared a pro-Palestine video featuring a rat emoji on Instagram, which critics say is an anti-Semitic trope
PA
It included a cartoon image of a rat alongside a video in which Canadian-Palestinian lawyer Diana Buddu criticised Israel's war in Gaza.
The post was quickly condemned by campaigners who expressed fury at what appeared to be Lineker's endorsement of the emoji.
The charity Campaign Against Antisemitism immediately highlighted the issue on social media platform X.
"Nothing to see here," the organisation posted. "Just Gary Lineker's Instagram account sharing an anti-Israel video misrepresenting Zionism, complete with a rat emoji."
The use of rat imagery has particularly disturbing historical connotations in this context.
Rats were regularly used as dehumanising tropes by Nazi Germany to depict Jewish people in propaganda.
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Gary Lineker has shared a controversial post about Israel on Instagram
This historical association is why many Jewish organisations view the emoji's use alongside criticism of Israel as deeply offensive.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism later expanded on their criticism, stating: "Not only does this video deliberately misrepresent Zionism - the belief that Jews have the same right to self-determination as everyone else - but it adds a rat emoji in doing so."
They questioned why Lineker "keeps sharing content on social media that seems to cater to Jew-haters."
A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies condemned Lineker's actions in strong terms.
"The BBC has allowed the situation with Gary Lineker to continue for far too long," they said.
"He has caused great offence with this video particularly with his egregious use of a rat emoji to illustrate Zionists."
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The organisation explicitly called for immediate action rather than a planned departure.
"BBC should ask him to leave now rather than allowing him to dictate his own terms," the spokesperson added.
Barrister Simon Myerson KC, who chairs the Leeds Jewish Representative Council, questioned whether Lineker would "have the guts to explain this to Emily Damari", a hostage captured by Hamas.
Alex Hearn, co-director of Labour Against Antisemitism, also condemned Lineker's post.
"Gary Lineker has been sharing increasingly extreme content as his fixation has grown, and it was apparent that it was only a matter of time before he crossed the line," he said.
Hearn added: "Sharing content that uses a rat to demonise the very idea of a Jewish nation state draws directly from Nazi propaganda.
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"It is unfathomable that this is apparently 'hateful conduct' on X, but acceptable conduct for the BBC."
Other critics on social media reported the post to moderators for potentially violating rules against hateful conduct.
The post comes just weeks after Lineker defended his right to express opinions on Gaza during an interview with the BBC's Amol Rajan.
"I know where I stand on this," he said. "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."
When questioned about BBC impartiality, Lineker responded: "Why? It needs to be factual.....It wasn't impartial about Ukraine and Russia.... Why does it have to be impartial about...I understand if it's partial about our government."
Lineker has previously called for Israel to be banned from global sport, in a post he later deleted.
Gary Lineker is set to leave Match of the Day at the end of the season before departing the BBC permanently in 2026PAThis controversy follows Lineker's previous clash with the BBC in 2023 over social media comments.
That year, he compared language used by the Conservative government to "that used by Germany in the 30s" in a social media post.
The remarks triggered a BBC suspension and prompted a mass walkout of BBC Sport staff in solidarity.
Lineker eventually returned to his presenting duties after the broadcaster revised its social media guidelines.
Despite these new rules regarding social media use, Lineker has continued to express political views on various platforms, particularly regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict.
