A BBC presenter posted an illustration of a rat alongside an anti-Israel video titled “Zionism explained in less than 2 minutes” on X, sparking outrage from British Jews and their supporters.

Gary Lineker, a former soccer player turned BBC sports host, has repeatedly shared antisemitic and anti-Israel propaganda on his social media posts.

Because the BBC is a publicly funding broadcaster, employees are banned from inciting racial or ethnic hatred – a policy which critics say Lineker has clearly violated.

While Lineker has often pro-Palestinian content, his latest video triggered a fresh round of complaints from those calling for his firing.

Lineker’s use of a rat illustration calls to mind Nazi-era propaganda targeting Jews, numerous users wrote.

“Nothing to see here. Just Gary Lineker’s Instagram account sharing an anti-Israel video misrepresenting Zionism, complete with a rat emoji,” British watchdog group Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA)
sarcastically responded on the platform.

“Gary Lineker really has the worst luck when it comes to campaigning for his causes without aligning himself with extremists and antisemites,” a CAA spokesperson told the Daily Mail.

“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,” the group added.

CAA noted in the past, Lineker has often played dumb when facing criticism for his antisemitic posts, claiming he was unaware of the historical implications of the language and imagery he has promoted.

“Why is it that Gary Lineker keeps sharing content on social media that seems to cater to Jew-haters? Perhaps Mr. Lineker is not as naive as he would like us to believe,” the spokesman continued.

“As the BBC’s highest-paid presenter and owner of a major media enterprise, maybe he knows exactly what he’s doing. We will be submitting a complaint to the BBC over this latest post.”

Danny Cohen, the former Director of BBC Television, said in a statement that Lineker’s content “echoes Nazi propaganda. This is utterly grim.”

Cohen addressed BBC Director General Tim Davie, saying that the executive has “a simple question to answer: does he tolerate the BBC’s flagship presenters sharing content that has historically been used as an antisemitic slur?”

Image - WIN/An Instagram post from Gary Lineker comparing Zionists to rats (Screenshot/Instagram)