Gary Lineker, removed from the BBC for his unfortunate comparison: "It is not different from Germany in the 30s"

One of the hottest issues these days in the UK is the controversial new immigration law being worked on by the government of Conservative leader Rishi Sunak.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
10 March 2023 Friday 14:23
8 Reads
Gary Lineker, removed from the BBC for his unfortunate comparison: "It is not different from Germany in the 30s"

One of the hottest issues these days in the UK is the controversial new immigration law being worked on by the government of Conservative leader Rishi Sunak.

The important restrictions that would be imposed in this law, according to the draft of the same in which they are currently immersed, have been the subject of all kinds of opinions. Some of the most relevant come from public figures, such as former footballer and BBC presenter Gary Lineker.

"There is not a large influx. We accept far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just a cruel policy aimed at the most vulnerable people in a language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 1930s," Lineker wrote on his account. Twitter.

The Englishman was a footballer at FC Barcelona between 1986 and 1989, so his words have also had some relevance in Spain. However, it is in his country where they have had direct consequences.

Lineker has been abruptly removed from the program he presents on the BBC, Match of the Day, for having been considered by the television entity as a "violation of its rules". This has been confirmed in a statement available on his website, adding that his disappearance from the screen will last until the company has "a clear and agreed position on his use of social networks."

To avoid major discrepancies, the BBC has silenced any accusation of lack of freedom of expression towards the former soccer player and presenter. They ensure that Gary should not be "an opinion-free zone or that he cannot have a point of view on issues that matter to him," but that he "should stay away from taking sides on political issues."

Given this drastic measure, Ian Wright, his program partner, has said on social networks that he will not appear on it out of "solidarity" towards Lineker. "Everyone knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I've already told the BBC that I won't do it tomorrow," he wrote on his Twitter profile.