The BBC’s withdrawal of its star presenter, Gary Lineker, sparked strong criticism of the British broadcaster on Saturday, with many consultants and political figures backing the former footballer who was sanctioned for a tweet criticizing the government.

The former England striker, who has presented the football show since 1999, was suspended by the British media giant after criticizing on Tuesday the Conservative government’s new bill to stop the arrival of immigrants through the English Channel seeking asylum in the UK Kingdom, a project denounced as as far as the UN.

It is a “cruel policy aimed at the most vulnerable, in language not unlike that used by Germany in the 1930s”wrote on Twitter where the former soccer player, 62, regularly shares his progressive views with his 8.8 million subscribers.

His statements provoked a lively controversy in a very tense context around immigration issues but also recurring criticism of impartiality directed at public broadcasting by the British right.

wave of support

The BBC initially claimed that “discuss” with the presenter. On Friday, the audiovisual group finally “We decided that (Gary Lineker) was going to take a step back from hosting Match Of The Day until we had a clear agreement with him about his use of social media.”

The reactions did not wait: six commentators announced that they would retire before the “circumstances”as did consultants such as former England internationals Ian Wright and Alan Shearer.

An online petition for support surpassed 135,000 signatures on Saturday morning and the hashtag #BoycottBBC is trending on Twitter.

At the political level, the audiovisual group’s decision has been denounced by numerous personalities, from the Labor opposition to Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who described it as“indefensible” The BBC’s position. she agrees to her “endangering freedom of expression in the face of political pressure”.

According to The Daily Express newspaper on Saturday, a group of 36 British Conservative MPs wrote a letter to the group’s chief executive, Tim Davie, asking for an apology. “Without reservation” of the presenter

“The BBC has undermined its own credibility by appearing to cave in to government pressure”said former BBC director-general Greg Dyke. According to him, the duty of impartiality required of employees who work in political news should not apply to hosts of entertainment programs.

The new bill, which according to the Government aims to end the illegal arrival of immigrants through the English Channel, has been criticized by human rights groups and by the UN, which has accused London of wanting to “put an end to the right of asylum”.