Gary Lineker insisted how important it was to ‘know your history’ just days before he shared a pro-Palestine video featuring an anti-Semitic rat slur, it has been revealed.
The under-fire BBC Match Of The Day host, 64, told an interviewer he did not care about any ‘backlash’ over his strident condemnation of Israel in the Gaza war.
His comments, published today, were made three days before the BBC’s highest paid presenter shared on Instagram to his 1.2million followers a video from the group Palestine Lobby.
The clip, which purported to define Zionism, featured throughout a cartoon emoji of a rat, a symbol that has been used in Nazi propaganda as an anti-Jewish smear.
The former England football captain yesterday issued an ‘unreserved apology’ after widespread criticism and calls for the BBC to axe him.
Yet Lineker’s agent said on Tuesday that the star had both not noticed the rat image on the video he shared and would have been unaware of its connotations.
Lineker subsequently said in his own statement yesterday afternoon: ‘On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references. I very much regret these references.’
It has now emerged that he told an interviewer days earlier how ‘it’s very important to know your history’ as he faced accusations of downplaying anti-Israel attacks.
The BBC’s highest paid star Gary Lineker (pictured) faced calls for him to be axed by thecorporation after he shared on Instagram a video featuring an anti-Semitic slur
Lineker reposted the clip from the campaign group Palestine Lobby that featured the image of a rat – the kind of image used as a slur against Jewish people by Nazi Germany
Former Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona and Three Lions star Lineker has been a vocal opponent of Israeli‘s military action in Gaza, but critics have accused him of not highlighting the Hamas terrorist atrocities of October 7 2023.
In the Telegraph interview published today, Lineker struck a defiant tone, saying: ‘Obviously October 7 was awful, but it’s very important to know your history and to study the massacres that happened prior to this, many of them against the Palestinian people.
‘Israel say it’s self-defence, but really? Self-defence against what now? Yes, I understand that they needed to avenge, but I don’t think they’ve helped their own hostage situation at all. People say it’s a complex issue, but I don’t think it is.’
When told he faced a potential backlash to such remarks, Lineker replied: ‘I don’t really care about the backlash. I care about doing the right thing, or what I think is the right thing.
‘Some people can disagree, that’s fine. But I have to look at myself in the mirror. I think if you’re silent on these issues, you’re almost complicit.’
In the same interview, he said about Israel’s military action in Gaza: ‘The real heroes are the Jews who have spoken out against it.
‘It’s the Israeli government I’m critical of, not Jewish people. Most Jewish people recognise this for what it is now, that it’s wrong.’
He was previously accused in May last year of making ‘tone deaf’ comments after referring in an interview to the October 7 attacks as ‘that Hamas thing’.
Newly published comments made by Lineker three days before he shared the offending Instagram footage reveal him talking about the importance of ‘knowing your history’
Among Lineker’s critics for sharing the video with the rat slur have been the charity Campaign Against Antisemitism as well as the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
In response to the newly published quotes, a CAA spokesperson today told MailOnline: ‘It is outrageous that Gary Lineker has now appointed himself as the spokesperson for what ‘most Jews’ think, and the judge of which Jews are ‘heroes’ and which are not.
‘It is staggeringly arrogant, especially for the man who called the October 7th atrocity “the Hamas thing” and claims to have had no idea about the dehumanising connotations of depicting “Zionists” as rats.
‘Far from being the nation’s great conscience, as he seems to consider himself, Mr Lineker has repeatedly aligned himself with individuals and content that promote antisemitic narratives or trivialise violence against Jews.
‘The time for amends and apologies has passed. He’s had too long and his track record on this is just too long. The BBC must remove him now.
‘That is why we have launched our petition, calling on our national broadcaster to remove him right away. Thousands have already signed.’
Danny Cohen, a former Director of BBC Television, said earlier this week: ‘Gary Lineker appears to have shared content about the Jewish State which echoes Nazi propaganda. This is utterly grim.
‘The BBC’s Director General Tim Davie has a simple question to answer: does he tolerate the BBC’s flagship presenters sharing content that has historically been used as an anti-Semitic slur?’
Among the Nazis’ anti-Semitic depictions of Jewish people as rats was this poster produced by Adolf Hitler’s regime during their 1940s occupation of Denmark
Gary Lineker, pictured celebrating a goal for Tottenham Hotspur in September 1991 during his playing days, has been accused by critics of downplaying the October 7 attacks on Israel
In Lineker’s statement of apology on Wednesday, he insisted: ‘I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.
The post was removed as soon as I became aware of the issue.
‘Whilst I strongly believe in the importance of speaking out on humanitarian issues, including the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, I also know that how we do so matters.
‘I take full responsibility for this mistake. ‘That image does not reflect my views. It was an error on my part for which I apologise unreservedly.’
Lineker’s representative had earlier said: ‘Whilst viewing and reposting a video, Gary did not notice a rodent emoticon added by the author of the post.
‘Although if he had, he would not have made any connection. The repost has been removed.’
In January last year Lineker said he received threats after he retweeted and later deleted a post on social media calling for Israel to be banned from international sporting events including football.
Later, speaking to news site Zeteo, he said: ‘There is a lot of heavy lobbying on people to be quiet so I understand why most people refrain but I’m getting on a bit now, I’m fairly secure and I can’t be silent about what’s happening.’
Danny Cohen, a former BBC Director of Television, has called for the corporation to take action as he called Lineker’s sharing of the offensive rat image as ‘utterly grim’
Gary Lineker is due to step down as Match Of The Day presenter at the end of this season but will present BBC coverage of next year’s World Cup
Lineker has previously faced controversy for his political interventions which critics claim are breaches of the BBC’s impartiality rules.
These included accusing the previous Conservative Government of using anti-migrant language reminiscent of the Nazis.
The most recent BBC accounts show he was the corporation’s best paid presenter for the seventh successive year, receiving up to £1.35million in 2023-2024.
He is stepping down from presenting the BBC’s flagship football show Match Of The Day later this month but will stay with the corporation long enough to present coverage of the 2025-2026 FA Cup and next year’s World Cup before departing.
