After we led a week of public outcry and over 10,000 people signed our petition in only a few days calling on Gary Lineker and the BBC to part ways, the message has finally been received.
Today, it was announced that Gary Lineker is departing from the BBC.
The news comes after he shared a video last week, which was widely understood to portray ‘Zionists’ as rats in an echo of Nazi propaganda.
Our calls were amplified by Sharon Osbourne, who commented on our social media post saying, “Bye bye” to the controversial pundit and former footballer.
Mr Lineker’s departure from the BBC was long overdue. This latest incident comes after years of us pointing out his descent. He became a symbol of the rot at the heart of our national broadcaster: a man repeatedly allowed to flout the BBC’s own rules on impartiality, abusing his position to promote his increasingly propagandist politics, vilifying those he disagrees with, and even promoting dehumanising and extreme messages.
The BBC tolerated this for years despite our growing calls and in spite of its supposed values, because it no longer lives by them.
Impartiality at the BBC is dead, and Mr Lineker has been Exhibit A.
Gary Lineker could have been the Des Lynam of our generation. Instead, he transformed in front of the nation’s eyes into Mr Not So Nice Guy, an egotist who mistook celebrity for moral authority, a divisive figure who used his fame to inflame.
At last, the final whistle has been blown on his tenure at the BBC, and now it is time to ask how and why management allowed him to play on until now, foul after foul.
Mr Lineker became a high-profile symptom of the rot at the heart of our national broadcaster. The BBC is not yet rid of the rot; there is much more work to be done.
Our polling shows that the overwhelming majority — 92% — of British Jews believe media bias against Israel fuels antisemitism, and look on the BBC’s coverage unfavourably. It performs the worst among broadcasters in our poll.
That is why we need a full and independent inquiry into the BBC’s coverage of the Jewish state.
It cannot be the case that the BBC makes one concession and continues with business as usual. Our national broadcaster needs a real shake-up.
Sign our petition, calling for the licence fee to be suspended, pending an investigation!
What does it mean to cancel your licence fee?
If you want to cancel your licence fee but are concerned about the legal consequences, you can read our legal guide at antisemitism.org/canceltvlicence.
Defending the indefensible
Gary Lineker isn’t the only celebrity who has engaged in controversy relating to the Jewish community over the past week.
In a recent video, the provocateur podcaster Russell Brand says that Kanye West’s new song has a “good hook”.
Could the so-called hook be that the phrase “Heil Hitler” is repeated over and over? And the title of the song? Also “Heil Hitler”.
Mr Brand’s attempt to defend Kanye West (also known as Ye) in the face of outrage over Ye’s repeated and unapologetic praise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party isn’t just pathetic — it’s dangerous.
Whether he genuinely believes what he is saying or it’s just a desperate attempt to chase clicks through controversy, the outcome is the same: Mr Brand trivialises one of history’s darkest chapters.
Six million Jewish men, women and children were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. To this day, the global Jewish population has still not recovered.
Playing with Nazi slogans is not edgy or brave, and neither is Russell Brand.
End of the line
Farrukh Najeeb Husain, a solicitor who was struck off by the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) last year in a case in which Campaign Against Antisemitism gave expert testimony, has lost his appeal at the High Court.
The case was originally brought by the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA) against Mr Husain. Following the hearing, the SDT found a number of his social media posts to be antisemitic and offensive.
The SRA investigated Mr Husain, an immigration and employment solicitor, following complaints regarding his conduct on X, which was reported to the regulator by Bevan Brittan, a law firm that employed him at the time.
The SRA claimed that Mr Husain’s conduct online was “offensive” and, in some cases, antisemitic. Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, gave expert witness testimony to assist the SRA in its case.
Farrukh Najeeb Husain’s posts were vile, there was no evidence of remorse for his actions, and in the words of Mr Justice Chamberlain, “No lesser sanction than striking off would suffice.”
Mr Husain was represented at the High Court by none other than Franck Magennis, a barrister who counts among his other clients the Hamas terrorist organisation. We will have more to tell you about Mr Magennis next week.
There must be zero tolerance for bigotry in the legal profession.
Manchester Students’ Union backs down after action by Campaign Against Antisemitism
A scandalous and potentially criminal ‘Solidarity with Palestine Policy’ motion has been withdrawn by the University of Manchester’s Students’ Union, following action from Campaign Against Antisemitism and others in the community.
One part of the motion read: “International law enshrines a right to resist occupation. Additionally, lawyers and scholars have argued that the use of armed military force by a people exercising the right to self-determination when all other avenues of resistance have been exhausted is legitimate under international law, and that the right of an occupied people to armed resistance is an extension of the right to national self-defence. On the other hand, the right to national self-defence does not extend to occupying nations in the land they are occupying. International law forbids occupying or oppressor nations from taking military action to suppress self-determination. This position has recently been reaffirmed by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.”
It also stated: “In recognising that, as an occupied nation, the people of Palestine have the right to armed resistance under international law.”
Our lawyers reviewed this policy and wrote to the University.
This proposal never should have been even drafted, let alone proposed. Jewish students have the same right to feel safe on their campus as any other group.
While there was no remorse in the announcement of the withdrawal, this success is an example of regulations working to protect a vulnerable community on campus.
We will continue to tackle extremism and antisemitism on university campuses wherever we find it.
Unity Shapes Love?
Eurovision is supposed to be a celebration of togetherness, using music to bring nations closer.
This year, however, the competition has served as a stark reminder of the harsh reality faced by Jews and Israelis. Prior to the event, Israel’s National Security Council issued a warning advising Jews and Israelis visiting Switzerland to “avoid displaying Israeli and Jewish symbols in public” for their own safety.
This warning was all the more chilling given that Israel’s Eurovision entrant was Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the horrific 7th October Nova music festival massacre, where a reported 364 people were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists.
Ms Raphael only managed to survive by hiding under a dead body in a bomb shelter for eight long hours.
Despite all of this, there were still those calling for Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision. Indeed Graham Norton, providing commentary on the show for the BBC, observed the “controversy” around Israel’s participation but did not mention Ms Raphael’s biography. A fairer broadcaster might have decided to mention both or neither; but the BBC is not a fair broadcaster.
This year’s Eurovision theme was “Unity Shapes Love”. Some would do well to remember that ‘unity’ includes Jews.
So we decided to go to Soho and, in view of the ordeal that Ms Raphael went through on 7th October 2023, hand out yellow ribbons for the hostages in Gaza to Eurovision fans.
Not everyone was happy to take one…Watch the full video here.
But it’s not all bad news.
Despite incessant efforts to intimidate and even attack Ms Raphael, she performed well enough to win the public vote in the UK and across Europe, coming second overall (including jury votes).
It is an inspiration to see someone go through what Ms Raphael did a year and a half ago and rise to such heights.
Welcome home, Edan!
After 584 days in the hands of Hamas terrorists, Edan Alexander has finally returned home.
We will continue to call for the release of all the hostages, who remain in unimaginably brutal conditions. Every day that passes is another day too long.
Bring them home.
Are you a medical professional, or a recent patient?
We are collecting testimonies on antisemitism in the medical field.
We are interested to hear from doctors and other medical practitioners, staff, patients and anyone else who has encountered antisemitism in medicine over the past year and a half.
If you have been affected, please e-mail us at [email protected] with the subject: “Medical”.
It is vital that victims make their voices heard. We cannot raise awareness of antisemitism in medicine without your help.
We understand the significance of professional and privacy concerns, which is why victims trust us to amplify their voices and get justice. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
We are recruiting!
Do you want to support Jewish students on campus and develop the skills and experience to become a powerful voice in the fight against antisemitism?
We are looking for a full-time paid intern for up to twelve months, starting in September 2025.
You will be working alongside our Education Officer in our Central London office.
For more information and to apply, please visit antisemitism.org/jobs.We fight because nobody should be above the law or social norms. Gary Lineker thought that he was invincible. Today, he has learned otherwise.
If you want to support our work holding public personalities to account when nobody else will, you can do so here.
The campaign to humble Mr Lineker has taken years. Our persistence is thanks to your support.