Is he right to speak out? This weekend, Britain’s top football shows went ahead without Gary Lineker after the presenter compared the British government to Nazi Germany. But many think he should be allowed to speak frankly.
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Lineker row threatens to topple BBC chiefs
Is he right to speak out? This weekend, Britain's top football shows went ahead without Gary Lineker after the presenter compared the British government to Nazi Germany. But many think he should be allowed to speak frankly.
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Foot in mouth
"Just 20 minutes of shameful, joyless TV." This was one reviewer's verdict of Saturday night's Match of the Day, the BBC's weekend football review show. For the first time ever, it had no music, no presenters and no commentary at all.
It all started last Monday, when UK prime minister Rishi Sunak and home secretaryIn Britain, they are responsible for national security, immigration and policing. Suella Braverman launched a new policy. The Illegal Migration Bill will ban people who arrive in the UK illicitlyIn a way not allowed by law or other rules. on small boats from applying to remain in the country. The government claims this will both cut immigration numbers and stop human traffickingThe recruitment, transportation or trade of humans for forced labour or sexual exploitation. .
The bill proved controversial. Many people who arrive on boats are refugees fleeing conflict abroad. The UK plans would Deny them asylumWhen a state agrees to shelter somebody who is fleeing dangerous circumstances. The right to asylum is protected in international law by the 1951 Refugee Convention.. Refugee Council executive Enver Solomon called it "performative cruelty at its worst".
Lineker quickly waded in. He tweeted: "Good heavens, this is beyond awful." When a user attacked him, he doubled down. He compared the language of the government's announcements to that of "1930s Germany".
His remarks caused a huge reaction. Politicians were upset by Lineker's comparisons to NaziA German political party of the twentieth century, led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazis controlled Germany from the early 1930s until the end of World War II. Germany, which committed genocideThe annihilation of a people, either through killing of its members, or through the suppression of its culture. and curtailed basic freedoms.
Some have called for Lineker to resign. According to the Daily Mail, other BBC staff are "boiling with anger" that he was able to speak his mind. Lineker should either be banned from airing his views, or cut, they say.
Yet if Lineker was dropped it could cause even more outrage. Losing a job for criticising the government, some say, would only prove him right.
On Friday, the BBC made a decision. It suspended Lineker for breaching impartiality guidelines. But within minutes, other presenters declared that with Lineker out, they would not host the show.
Lineker has often commented on political events.2 His fans argue that Lineker has the right to express himself freely. On Wednesday, he tweeted: "I have never known such love and support in my life".
The government plans to appoint an official to ensure universities do not restrict free speechThe idea that people can say what they think without any fear of being punished or silenced. . To attack Lineker for speaking out would be pure hypocrisySaying something is bad, but also taking part in it yourself. .
Yes: Cruelty can only be stopped if we talk about it. Lineker has alerted millions of people to a major injustice. That government MPs reacted so dramatically suggests that his comments hit the target.
No: Lineker has worked at the BBC since 1995. The network turned him into a household name. He should be well aware of its rules. And the consequences he - and it - might face if they are not followed.
Or... Freedom of expression is a basic human right. It does not matter whether Lineker is right or wrong on any given issue. What matters is that he has the ability to express his views in the first place.
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Is he right to speak out?
Keywords
Home secretary - In Britain, they are responsible for national security, immigration and policing.
Illicitly - In a way not allowed by law or other rules.
Human trafficking - The recruitment, transportation or trade of humans for forced labour or sexual exploitation.
Asylum - When a state agrees to shelter somebody who is fleeing dangerous circumstances. The right to asylum is protected in international law by the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Nazi - A German political party of the twentieth century, led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazis controlled Germany from the early 1930s until the end of World War II.
Genocide - The annihilation of a people, either through killing of its members, or through the suppression of its culture.
Free speech - The idea that people can say what they think without any fear of being punished or silenced.
Hypocrisy - Saying something is bad, but also taking part in it yourself.
Lineker row threatens to topple BBC chiefs
Glossary
Home secretary - In Britain, they are responsible for national security, immigration and policing.
Illicitly - In a way not allowed by law or other rules.
Human trafficking - The recruitment, transportation or trade of humans for forced labour or sexual exploitation.
Asylum - When a state agrees to shelter somebody who is fleeing dangerous circumstances. The right to asylum is protected in international law by the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Nazi - A German political party of the twentieth century, led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazis controlled Germany from the early 1930s until the end of World War II.
Genocide - The annihilation of a people, either through killing of its members, or through the suppression of its culture.
Free speech - The idea that people can say what they think without any fear of being punished or silenced.
Hypocrisy - Saying something is bad, but also taking part in it yourself.