The BBC yesterday faced calls to act on presenter Gary Lineker after the Match of the Day star backed a proposed pro-Palestine march in central London on Armistice Day.
The Home Secretary has branded the rallies “hate marches” but Lineker, 62, posted: “Marching and calling for a ceasefire and peace so that more innocent children don’t get killed is not really the definition of a hate march.”
However the star was accused of disrespecting Britain’s war dead. Welsh Secretary David Davies told the Sunday Express: “On Armistice Day we should be remembering those who died fighting for freedom and against Nazism. It is astonishing that one of the highest paid presenters on the BBC is supporting protests which will disrupt this special day.”
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said Lineker showed “a lack of understanding”, while deputy Tory chairman Lee Anderson said: “It’s time BBC director-general Tim Davie got rid of him.” The BBC said its flagship presenters can express opinions on “issues that may be the subject of public and political debate”.
