Former England Footballer Gary Lineker Shares Post Comparing Zionism to Nazism

Gary Lineker, former England football star and ex-BBC football presenter, shared a controversial post featuring Tony Greenstein, a Jewish pro-Palestinian activist, who compared Zionism to Nazism and accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Greenstein, born to a Jewish family in Liverpool with a rabbi father, was recently acquitted by a UK jury of charges related to "inviting support for Hamas" following his social media posts after the October 7 Hamas attack. In his posts, Greenstein expressed support for Hamas and urged followers to back the Gaza resistance, calling it a "full support for the Gaza ghetto uprising." After his acquittal, Greenstein gave a speech outside court equating Zionism with Nazi ideology, stating his opposition to Zionism stems from his Jewish identity and accusing Zionism of continuing the Nazi tradition of persecuting Jews. Lineker shared the video of Greenstein’s speech on social media, adding a "like" to the post, drawing attention amid his own recent departure from the BBC following accusations of antisemitic remarks. The case and Lineker’s sharing highlight ongoing tensions around discourse on Israel, Zionism, and antisemitism in the UK and beyond.