- Gary Lineker, revered by football fans globally and regarded as a British national treasure has sparked debate on his involvement in political discourse versus football commentary.
- Lineker’s ongoing support for Palestine and criticism of Israel’s actions resulted in a a confrontation with Nicole Lampart from the Jewish Chronicle last week.
Gary Lineker is adored by generations of football enthusiasts across the world; known as Britain’s national treasure. Once renowned for his prolific goal-scoring prowess on the pitch and now for his charismatic presence off it. Lineker is best known for his engaging commentary on Match of the Day. A discussion however has emerged regarding whether he has the right to give his views on political affairs and should stick to football. This seems absurd given that everyone has the right to freely express their views on social media.
As Muslims, we may not agree with all of Lineker’s views. However, one thing is for sure- he has been a staunch supporter of Palestine, speaking up against the genocide unfolding right before our eyes, consistently displaying his solidarity in recent months.
Lineker’s ongoing support for Gaza has illustrated much bravery on his part. Particularly during a time when many celebrities have emerged as cowards by either remaining silent or stating that they don’t know enough about the situation (as we saw with Kanye West and KSI this week). This is clearly in order to keep their followers intact.
Last week when Nicole Lampart from the Jewish Chronicle attempted to push her Zionist propaganda on Lineker, she appeared rather pleased with herself. Of course, she promptly told him how he was “behaving like an anti-Semite” “over risotto and salad.”
This supposed victory confrontation occurred during a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch in Soho. Reporting the event, Lampart writes in the Jewish Chronicle:
And then there was a strange exchange in which he told me the BDS movement message was actually a news story. I told him it wasn’t, it was a demand. He continued to say it was a news story and I continued to tell him it was a demand, not a news story. The host was getting annoyed by me, and the rest of the room was watching with a mixture of horror, amusement and (I hope) some admiration that I wasn’t letting this go.
Lampart goes on to say how she was angered by Lineker for calling for the ban of the Israeli football team. She continued in her column:
“I told him that we all wanted peace and that there had been peace until October 7th”.
Did I just read that correctly? “…there had been peace until October 7th”. Here are some facts for Ms Lampart to digest:
- In 2021, according to Human Rights Watch, Israeli authorities demolished 666 Palestinian homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem displacing 958 people in the first 8 months.
- The UN Officer for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented a 38% rise in demolitions compared to the corresponding period in 2020.
- In October 2021, the Israeli government moved forward with plans to authorize over 4,000 new settlement units in Occupied Palestinian Territory, an action deemed a war crime.
- According to Amnesty International, in a brutal response to the Palestinians’ March of Return, Israeli troops had used live ammunition by the end of 2019, resulting in the injury of over 8,000 individuals and the death of 214 civilians, including 46 children. Among the affected, 156 individuals required limb amputations, while over 1,200 people needed long-term and costly therapy and rehabilitation.
- As of October 14, 2021, Israeli security forces, according to OCHA, had killed 67 Palestinians, including 14 children, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
- The extent of impunity enjoyed by Israeli forces was starkly evident when, on July 28, 2022, Israeli officers fatally shot 11-year-old Mohammad Abu Sarah in the back of his father’s car at the entrance to their village of Beit Ummar near Hebron. Neither individual appeared to pose a threat to the Israeli soldiers, as documented in a video released by the Israeli rights organization “B’Tselem.”
- According to a report to the Human Rights Council by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, encompassing East Jerusalem and Israel, authorities routinely infringe upon the rights of civil society members. This is manifested through intimidation, threats, arrests, interrogations, arbitrary detention, torture, and other forms of inhumane and degrading treatment.
- According to the HRC, Israeli authorities retained the bodies of 114 Palestinians from November 2021 to October 2022.
- Palestinians have endured 75 years of suffering, displacement, ethnic cleansing, torture, the imprisonment of children, and horrific war crimes which have been exacerbated today. Yet, they still remain standing Alhumdulillah!
Lampart’s intention to engage with Lineker was clearly a calculated one. Lineker has a substantial following of 8.9 million followers on X. Lampart is cognisant of his immense influence. Consequently, she clearly made an attempt to indoctrinate Lineker with her Zionist propaganda, speaking of the Israeli hostages and dismissing the 28,473 Palestinians who have been carpet bombed and murdered in the most heinous of crimes. Lineker responded, “It’s complicated, I know”.
He subsequently posted the following tweet yesterday.
As Israel has launched its ground offensive in Rafah and continues to target innocent children and women, images have surfaced that can only be described as resembling a horror movie.
If you are standing against this grave injustice today, you are on the right side of history.
Allah has promised victory to the Muslims in Palestine and is not in need of anyone. Allah is Al-Ghaniyy (the self-sufficient) He is Al-Qadir (the all powerful) and we must internalise this in relation to Palestine.
Interestingly, Israel is presently experiencing a decline in support, even from its most intimate associates, coinciding with Israel’s increasing isolation.
