The Chief of an Antisemitism campaign has claimed that Gary Lineker has become “emblematic of everything that is wrong with the BBC” after throwing his support behind the broadcaster’s controversial Gaza documentary.
Lineker, best known for presenting Match of the Day, joined forces with around 500 TV industry figures in calling for the documentary not to be pulled from broadcast.
The film, titled Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, faced a torrent of criticism and claims of bias after it emerged one of the key people featured in the programme was the son of a Hamas leader.
Speaking to GB News, Campaign Against Antisemitism chief Stephen Silverman claimed that Lineker has “repeatedly inserted himself” into topics and issues of which he has “very little knowledge”.
Stephen Silverman has hit out at Gary Lineker for intervening in the BBC’s controversial Gaza documentary
PA / GB News
Criticising the star’s backing of the documentary, Silverman told GB News: “Gary Lineker has risen to prominence for two reasons. Firstly, because of his undoubted expertise in football and other sports, and also on his ability to advise the general public on the consumption of crisps.
“And yet, despite that, he has repeatedly inserted himself into a topic that is unbelievably heated, about which he appears to have very little understanding or knowledge, and on which he has chosen to take a side.”
Noting Lineker’s previous outbursts about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Silverman added: “Who can forget the video he made last year in which he referred to the murder, torture, burning, rape and kidnapping of Jews in Israel as, and I quote, ‘the Hamas thing’.
“He is emblematic of everything that has become wrong with the BBC.”
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Lineker joined other celebs in calling for the documentary to be returned to screens
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Hitting out at the BBC, Silverman fumed that it is “not enough” for the BBC to “conduct its own investigation” following the complaints and award themselves a “clean bill of health”.
Silverman explained: “Once again, the BBC is being allowed to mark its own homework. It is not enough for the BBC to conduct an internal investigation and give itself a clean bill of health.
“We need a proper public inquiry into what on earth is going on at the BBC, not just in the context of this latest documentary, but in general in terms of its lack of balance and its bias in terms of the way it’s covered this issue.”
Backing the outrage expressed by the public about the documentary, Silverman supported those protesting outside the BBC building in London and also questioned whether funds from the BBC licence fee were “going into the pockets of Hamas”.
Silverman told GB News that the licence fee ‘should be pulled’ while the BBC is being investigated
GB News
Silverman concluded: “It goes back a very, very long time, and that is why a thousand people gathered outside the BBC on Tuesday night to express their anger, to demand a full inquiry.
“We think the licence fee should be suspended until it is actually demonstrated that taxpayers’ money through the licence fee did not end up in the pockets of Hamas.”
He stated: “It’s even worse than that, because right now, the Jewish community is being forced to make a financial contribution to the hatred that is being incited towards it. It is a completely unacceptable and despicable state of affairs.”
The BBC has said in a statement: “There have been continuing questions raised about the programme and in the light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company.”
The broadcaster added that while these were “important stories we think should be told”, the programme would not be available during the investigation.