Free speech therapy: Lineker to return to BBC after being suspended over asylum tweet

March 13 - The BBC has made an about-face and today reinstated its highest-paid TV presenter, Gary Lineker, following a near-mutiny over its decision to fire the former captain English on the air due to his criticism of the rhetoric around the government. migration policy.

Lineker will return to the airwaves after the BBC overturned his suspension for a tweet last week that criticized Britain's new asylum policy.

"Gary is a valuable part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary, and I can't wait for him to present our coverage this weekend," said the BBC's chief executive, Tim Davie.

Lineker was removed after he took to Twitter to compare the language used to launch the new policy to the rhetoric of Germany in the 1930s.

He described the government's plan to detain and deport migrants arriving by boat as "an immeasurably cruel policy directed against the most vulnerable people in language not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 1930s".

The government called its Nazi comparison offensive and unacceptable, and some lawmakers said the BBC should terminate its contract for expressing a political opinion.

But the BBC's about-face, which clearly failed to grasp the magnitude of the backlash, followed a weekend of chaos for the state-funded broadcaster, accused of being politically influenced by the government mandarins and censorship of the right to freedom of expression.

Other presenters, pundits and commentators came out in droves in solidarity with Lineker, wreaking havoc on the weekend's football coverage and making headlines across the media.

In the absence of everyone who needed to be involved, Saturday's flagship program 'Match of the Day' has been cut from the usual 90 minutes of highlights and analysis to a 20-minute compilation of clips from the matches of the day.

Davie insisted the BBC 'did the right thing' in suspending Lineker, but there would now be an independent review of the BBC's social media rules to resolve 'grey areas' " in the guidelines.

"Until the review is published, Gary will adhere to editorial guidelines," he said.

“Impartiality is important to the BBC. It is a difficult balancing act when people are under different contracts and on-air positions, and with different audience profiles and of social networks."

Lineker tweeted today, "I can't wait to get back in the MOTD chair on Saturday."

But he added, "As difficult as the past few days have been, it just doesn't compare to having to flee one's home because of persecution or war to seek refuge in a distant land."

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