BBC sent to meltdown on this one The weekend after presenters and critics rebelled In solidarity with Gary Lineker, who was suspended for tweeting about the government’s asylum crackdown.
Hosted by Lineker today’s game For nearly a quarter of a century it has been embroiled in the ensuing battle over fairness Comparing Germany in the 1930s and the language used to initiate the new asylum policy.
The comparison left Lineker out of command of the popular BBC programme, with several pundits including Ian Wright, Alan Shearer and Alex Scott announcing they would not be joining in solidarity with the former England striker. Did.
Saturday’s Match of the Day episode lasted ‘only 20 minutes’take the form of heavily limited highlighting program, Cobbled at the last minute by panic-stricken producers.
So what was the tweet that rocked the BBC?
On Tuesday, Lineker wrote on Twitter about a video in which Home Secretary Suera Braverman announced plans to stop migrants crossing the Channel in small boats, saying Britain was “overwhelmed”.
Braverman, who was previously accused of likening immigration travel to “invasion”, has been heavily criticized for his language on the issue.
Lineker responded to the video by writing, “Oh my god, this is beyond terrible.”
Replying to the sports broadcaster, another Twitter user described his comment as “out of order”, adding that he would “easy argue if there is no impact.”
“There is no mass influx,” Lineker said. “We receive far fewer refugees than any other major European country.
“Am I crazy, this is a policy of unfathomable cruelty aimed at the most vulnerable, in a language no different than Germany used in the 1930s?”
Some lawmakers said Lineker’s comments were poorly judged, but the presenter refuted Lineker’s criticisms, and some “free speech advocates” called for “silence with those who disagree.” I’m demanding it,” he complained.
And in a follow-up tweet Wednesday morning, he vowed to keep speaking up for “silence.”
A BBC statement said Lineker would not return to his longtime role as a presenter “until there is an agreed and clear position on his use of social media”.
Saturday night’s exclusive Match of the Day was watched by 2.6 million viewers, according to overnight figures reported by BBC News, an increase of nearly half a million over the show last week.
However, the program was significantly different, with a shorter running time and featuring only short highlight clips from the day’s games.
