| PRESS RELEASE – for immediate release10 March 2023 Anti-racists slam hypocritical BBC for “legitimising racism” after forcing off Lineker from MOTD, and urge people to join demonstration from BBC to Downing Street on Saturday 18th March Anti-racist campaigners condemned the BBC after forcing off Gary Lineker from Match of the Day (MOTD). They say its stance is “legitimising racism” and questioned its impartiality, by taking action against Lineker but refusing to take similar action against those more sympathetic to the government. Stand Up To Racism applauds the solidarity action by Ian Wright and Alan Shearer who have tweeted that they will not take part in the MOTD show this weekend. Campaigners defend Lineker’s stance and pointed to the growth in fascist demonstrations since Home Secretary Suella Braverman described refugees as an “invasion of the Southern coast” and its continued inflammatory language on the issue. In recent weeks there have been numerous fascist demonstrations targeting hotels housing asylum seekers, including a riot in Knowsley, Merseyside in February this year. Stand up to Racism, supported by the TUC and others, has called a demonstration in London assembling outside the BBC on Portland Place and marching to Downing Street. Similar protests are planned in Glasgow, Cardiff and world wide to mark UN Anti-Racism Day. Sabby Dhalu, Stand up to Racism Co-Convenor said: “The BBC is digging itself into a bigger and bigger hole and legitimising racism by forcing off Gary Lineker from MOTD. This has got nothing to do with impartiality and everything to do with Lineker taking an anti-racist stance in defending refugees and criticising the government on a bill that has been widely denounced as illegal. “We note BBC Chairman Richard Sharp gave £400,000 donation to the Conservative Party, Fiona Bruce Defended Boris Johnson’s father Stanley Johnson by describing breaking his wife’s nose as a ‘one off,’ Alan Sugar has criticised Sadiq Khan, Jeremy Corbyn and Mick Lynch. Clearly there’s an agenda here and it’s not impartiality. “The lesson from the rise of fascism in the 1930s is that we must unite against it and challenge racist arguments that concede to the far right. The government’s inflammatory language and proposed anti-refugee legislation has led to the growth of far right and fascist demonstrations. “We applaud Lineker for standing firm in defending his right to criticise government policy on refugees and Ian Wright and Alan Shearer in refusing to appear on MOTD in solidarity. We urge those appalled by the treatment of Lineker and the government’s stirring up of racism to join us on Saturday 18th March.” Weyman Bennett, co convenor Stand Up To Racism, said: “Gary Lineker’s very reasoned and historically justified comment warned of the dangers of demonising, scapegoating, and removing human rights from refugees. “We must be clear about what fascism is, and understand that the systematic murder of 6 million Jewish people and millions of others was a specific event that should not be loosely compared to others. To make Never Again a reality, we must learn the lessons and challenge the toxic racist politics that can create the circumstances for fascism to grow out of crisis. The racist populist politics the government at present is using is the same toxic racist demonisation and scapegoating amidst the crisis, and that this atmosphere can give more oxygen to the far right and fascist forces today. “At present, fascists in Britain First to fascists in Patriotic Alternative are actively trying to use the toxic racist atmosphere whipped up by the likes of Braverman and Sunak. They are calling protests at hotels housing refugees, and Manston was firebomed. In Ireland there has been a sharp increase in violent attacks on refugees amidst racist street protests that the far right and known fascist elements are operating in. Fascists such as Georgia Meloni in Italy and Marine Le Pen in France have done the very same – used a backdrop of economic crisis and intensified racism by governments to make gains as their racism becomes normised in the mainstream. In Britain, fascist forces are extremely weak by comparison, but in a polarised situation with the cost of living crisis and economic crisis, it is absolutely right to call out the dangers of the politics of divide and rule. “We stand with Gary Lineker and were proud that our very important #ResistRacism demonstrations on 18 March trended alongside vast numbers of people rallying to Lineker’s defence. This is what humanity looks like and we want to see those numbers on the streets to oppose the bill and say refugees are welcome. We don’t want this top down imposed politics of divide and rule rotting our communities.” ENDS Notes to editor: Stand Up To Racism is organising to place the issue of opposing the far right and all forms of division and bigotry as a central theme of the major day of international demonstrations for UN Anti Racism Day on 18 March 2023. National demonstrations are set to put thousands on the streets in London, Glasgow and Cardiff, aiming to mobilise the scale of opposition they deem necessary to challenge the racist hostile environment For further information and to request interviews contact national office SUTR: info@standuptoracism.org.uk |