Nobody for even one second believes Gary Lineker has even a particle of antisemitism in him, or indeed any form of hatred. If there is a closer approximation to “the opposite of hateful” in public life, it’s a struggle to think of who else.

He shared a post, as a story on Instagram, which featured the brilliant Palestinian-Canadian lawyer Diana Buttu discussing the nature of Zionism. The BBC itself should have given a proper platform for Palestinians to discuss an ideology whose consequences has repeatedly driven them from their land, subjected them to mass murder, injury, torture, incarceration, poverty, apartheid, colonisation, and now genocide. It has failed to do so – by wanting to share Buttu’s words, Gary Lineker is doing a job the BBC should have done. The video included an emoji of a rat. There’s no question this has antisemitic connotations when applied to Jewish people, with the Nazis referring to Jews as vermin. Lineker has already apologised for not noticing this emoji, and making it clear he’d never have shared it if he had, and that he deleted it immediately when it was brought to his attention.

Today, a militantly pro-Israel organisation calling itself the ‘Campaign Against Antisemitism’ which has relentlessly targeted opponents of Israel’s genocide, has issued a statement taking credit for Lineker being driven out. Their press release is headlined “Gary Lineker quits BBC, following CAA action”, stating “Gary Lineker is reportedly departing from the BBC following complaints to the broadcaster from Campaign Against Antisemitism.”

Just who are these doughty campaigners against racism? Last January, they published a tweet which read: “Thinking of visiting Sadiq Kan’s London? This is what you can expect to see.” The first frame of the attached video is an Islamist flag. This wasn’t so much of a dog whistle as a foghorn. These are the sorts of people treated as the authorities on racism, targeting the likes of Lineker as being the ones who are really guilty of racism.

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