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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Paul Speed

Gary Lineker DIVIDES readers over tweeting his political views

We're a nation divided over the still-simmering Gary Lineker Twitter row, according to our poll.

The Match of the Day host caused uproar last week following his social media post comparing the UK's new Illegal Migration Bill to Nazi Germany.

Thousands of you responded to our question Should BBC presenter Gary Lineker be allowed to make political comments?

And readers were largely split - with 1,817 backing Gary airing his views and 1,708 saying he was wrong and should remain impartial.

In his controversial tweet, the BBC star described the government's new contentious Illegal Migration Bill as 'beyond awful' - later adding: "This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s."

The former England international, 62, also retweeted a telling tweet that took aim at possible double standards from those at the top of the state-funded broadcaster, raising questions about the organisation's much-vaunted neutrality.

Gary will be back on the BBC this weekend – but his much-anticipated return won’t be made presenting Match of the Day.

The BBC announced on Monday that Lineker would return after the corporation backed down following a weekend of chaos.

If you can’t see the poll, click here

BBC director general Tim Davie spent the weekend in talks with Lineker in a bid to resolve the situation, which spiralled out of control after his colleagues refused to work in solidarity with him.

Match of the Day was broadcast as a 20-minute show being without a presenter, pundits or commentary, while Match of the Day 2, the live WSL and 5 Live schedule were also impacted.

Our story attracted a wealth of comments, here's just a selection:

In Gary's corner:

Rabbit10: "I have followed Gary on TV radio and Twitter. Twitter is supposed to be a platform for free speech. When he talks football on TV or radio he never mentions politics.

"Perhaps he could have chosen his words differently on Twitter without mentioning the Nazis. I still feel if anyone has an opinion on Twitter they should express it."

Bankie: "Did he say it on MOTD? No. His previous boss said he has not broken rules. Is the BBC a mouthpiece for the government? Yes."

Jiuxing: "Would there be the same response from the impartial BBC management if Gary tweeted in favour of the government's plans?"

Sallygal: "I wouldn't want to work for the BBC. They have grandiose ideas of controlling people. It's about time they allowed people to have their own opinions."

Mary65: "If Prince Harry can air the royal family's so called dirty laundry, then Gary Lineker should be able to voice his opinion."

Viking888: "He would be wrong to make comments when on MOTD or similar, but in a private capacity no problem. The BBC is not impartial, never has been."

Against Gary:

Stoptheboatstoday: "Gary and his chums have no clue what it is like to be an ordinary working UK citizen. They send their children to private school and have the luxury of private health care.

"Their lives and the lives of their children will never encounter the problems this endless line of boats will cause. They should not be commenting, passing judgement, or publicly airing their opinions on subjects which effect US, the British public (not them) from a moral standpoint. Not even mentioning what many employers all over the country expect from their employees on social media."

Raycountry: "I dont know. But I know using the Germans was a poor choice of words. If he can't see this then he doesn't deserve to be in the position he has on TV."

Transportlady: "Am fed up with millionaire celebrities airing their influential ideas. He has a duty to remain impartial. Already people are talking about revoking the licence fee."

Debbie1960: "Leave politics to all the clowns in parliament. Sport and politics don't belong together. It's about time MOTD had new presenters. He's had a good run and made lots of money."

Js1900: "To continue to allow as many people into this country uncontrolled will impact on a lot of us. But it will not impact on the likes of Lineker, with his lifestyle and where he lives. He would not be making the same comments if he were working class."

Do YOU agree with the poll results? It appears we're a nation divided. Let us know your thoughts in the comments

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