Gary Lineker ‘apologises unreservedly’ for sharing post about Zionism that included picture of a rat

The BBC’s highest-paid presenter Gary Lineker has "apologised unreservedly" after facing allegations of antisemitism for sharing a post about Zionism that included an image of a rat.

Initially Lineker denied that he had identified the rat – a symbol used by the Nazis against Jews – when he reshared the social media post titled “Zionism explained in less than 2 mins”.

But on Wednesday, following reports that Jewish staff at the BBC were “disgusted” by his repost, the Match of the Day presenter issued an apology.

"On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references," he said in a statement. "I very much regret these references.”

The former England football player claimed, "I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.

“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.”

He said he deleted the post "as soon as I became aware of the issue".

His apology was published by the BBC and, at the time of publication, was not shared on his Instagram account, where he first reposted the video about Zionism to his 1.2 million followers.

The Board of Deputies rejected the apology as “empty and belated,” and said Lineker’s “use of social media has been unacceptable for too long. It is high time that the licence-fee payer ceases to be obliged to subsidise and amplify his bile.” 

Lineker came under fire after reposting the video of a lecture condemning Zionism from an account which has previously claimed that Israel “controls the US government”.

The video, originally posted by Palestine Lobby and reposted onto Lineker’s Instagram stories, which expire after 24 hours, featured an appearance by Palestinian lawyer Diana Buttu on US television.

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In the version of the clip posted by Palestine Lobby, an activist group that has called the war in Gaza a “Holocaust” and shared images comparing Benjamin Netanyahu to Hitler, it featured a cartoon of a grey rat slowing moving its tail as Buttu spoke.

This version was subsequently shared by Lineker on Monday and remained on his account for many hours before being deleted by Tuesday morning. A spokesman for Lineker said he immediately deleted the video after learning of the symbolic meaning.

Within days of publishing the Buttu interview, Palestine Lobby also posted a clip captioned “how Israel controls the US government”, in which the “pro-Israel lobby” is labelled “the deep state”.

Lineker’s sharing of the first clip prompted a fierce backlash from Jewish viewers, many of whom pointed out that the rat was used as a dehumanising representation of Jews in Nazi propaganda.

Freelance journalist Etan Smallman, who originally brought the screenshot to mass attention, claimed that the imagery was “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 1930s”, echoing Lineker’s own comments from when the BBC star criticised the UK’s immigration policies under the Conservative government in 2023.

Lineker will depart from his Match of the Day hosting duties at the end of the Premier League season later this month.