10 March 2023 , 19:21
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What did the BBC think would happen when they tried to tell men of principle to shut up and stick to football?
Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright are men prepared to risk their space. Men prepared to use their platforms to say what needs to be said.
To be clear, Lineker didn’t tweet about sex, crack a crass joke and he didn’t put out any of the other things that have seen other celebrities justifiably cancelled.
He tweeted about the need to be careful and considerate towards our fellow man. He remarked on what so many of us are concerned about in relation to the government’s reprehensible policy demonising human beings seeking asylum.
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Gary Lineker is prepared to use his platforms to say what needs to be said (Getty Images)He is warning us about the slippery slope it has put us on. Those who can’t see that don’t want to see it.
And yet there are more people talking about Gary’s tweet than the actual policy. Gary is not even a member of staff at the BBC. He is a freelancer.
His views are his own.
They aren’t for sale. Real leadership is sticking by those views when a push comes to shove. Likewise Wrighty who has never been a shrinking violet on the issues that matter. The language being adopted now is similar to the kind of thing used towards Black people arriving here in the sixties and seventies.
It will be interesting now to learn who will present their flagship football show on Saturday night with so many of the people who could do it normally very strong - and very public - in regard to their social conscience.
This period now is about which side you are on.
- The Mirror has launched a petition calling for Lineker to be reinstated. We urge anyone who values liberty and free speech to sign it