Gary Lineker will not face police action over anti-Semitic rat post
Gary Lineker will not face police action over the anti-Semitic rat social media post after Scotland Yard told complainants it will not pursue a case.
Officers visited several members of the public who had told them they were distressed by the Instagram post which prompted Lineker's BBC exit.
However, the Metropolitan Police, after assessing reports, has now concluded no crime was committed. 'We received a number of reports from members of the public relating to a post published on social media on Monday, 12 May,' a statement sent to Telegraph Sport says. 'The reports have been assessed. No offences were identified and there will be no further police involvement.'
It had appeared unlikely from the outset that any law might have been broken by Lineker, who deleted the post and claimed he was unaware of the rat cartoon or its historically offensive symbolism.
Officers may have been considering, however, whether the post amounted to a non-crime hate incident (NCHI) where records are kept for speech that is perceived to demonstrate hostility.
Lineker's BBC departure was confirmed a week ago after mounting pressure within the corporation and beyond over a pro-Palestine video he shared on Instagram Story. Police were called in 10 days ago specifically about the rat emoji, an icon used by the Nazis as a slur against Jewish people.
The former England captain has lost out on an estimated £800,000 after leaving without a pay-off. Sources close to the corporation say the decision to drop him was made primarily by BBC chiefs who had run out of patience with his outspoken political views.
Lineker's final Match of the Day, after 26 years as anchor, was screened on Sunday. He broke down in tears at tributes from various famous faces and his family to his career on the show. He then embraced his first day of post-BBC freedom on Monday by defiantly sharing a poem of support for Palestine which includes a George Orwell quotation.
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