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Have I Got News For You viewers expressed disappointment as the BBC programme aired a segment about Gary Lineker's sudden departure from the BBC. The Leicester-born Match of the Day
pundit had initially planned to leave after presenting the 2026 World Cup, but following controversy over a post about the Israel-Gaza conflict, he apologised and announced an earlier exit,
with his final MOTD show this weekend. Host Victoria Coren Mitchell asked the panel: "Speaking of crisps, who has just been sacked?". Ian Hislop responded: "Gary Lineker. He
has left the BBC after retweeting an offensive antisemitic tweet from someone else about Israel and Gaza, and having become famous for saying the government had used the language of the
1930s in German, he failed to spot one of the big things they did in Nazi Germany in the 1930s, and that was to refer to Jews as rats. So he retweeted a picture of a rat. And he
understandably had to resign." Loose Women presenter Janet Street-Porter added: "I just think, I'm sure he is a decent guy, but to retweet something like that on that subject
without being ultra careful what you are retweeting, is stupid." Ian replied: "Things aren't always black and white, you have to be careful with the nuance, which obviously I
always am and never get into any trouble ever," reports the Express. Comedian Chris McCausland concurred: "People can be very anti-BBC, and will look for any reason to have a go at
them, but if you had a footballer tweet something that made the team look bad, these people would be let go." The discussion prompted a divided reaction from viewers. One wrote:
"What a disgrace the BBC are. Can clearly see the people on #HIGNFY want to actually speak their mind but are forced to a script re Gaza and Gary Lineker #DefundtheBBC." One viewer
commented: "I don't know why I expected different but the blanket condemnation of Gary Lineker by #hignfy was really really ugly." A third viewer added: "Whole panel not
showing Lineker any respect there, surprised at Ian Hislop, not exactly speaking truth to power." While a fourth countered: "Don't be surprised at hislop. He's always
picked his battles very carefully." However, a fifth viewer applauded the show, writing: "#HIGNFY on fire tonight totally destroying Lineker!". HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU IS ON
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