Latest news with #racism
BreakingNews.ie
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Gary Lineker claims BBC departure was ‘a case of quit or be quitted'
Gary Lineker has claimed his departure from the BBC was a case of 'quit or be quitted'. The former Match Of The Day presenter was asked if his departure from the corporation was 'of his own volition, or a case of quit or be quitted?' to which he replied 'the latter', during an interview with The New World, formerly known as The New European. Advertisement The 64-year-old left the BBC early following a post about Zionism which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult, which he apologised for, saying he stands 'against all forms of racism'. Lineker said he did not blame BBC director-general Tim Davie for his departure. Photo: Nick Potts/PA. The presenter will no longer front BBC coverage of the 2026 World Cup or the FA Cup next season as had been intended, with his last episode of Match Of The Day coming on May 25th. Speaking about his departure, Lineker said: 'That's what changed after that. I made a mistake and I immediately took it down and apologised, which I thought should have been enough.' He went on to say that he believed he had complied with the BBC's impartiality rules as he had looked at the war in Gaza 'without a vested interest'. Advertisement Lineker added: 'I've got no skin in the game. I'm not Muslim, I'm not Palestinian, I'm not Israeli, I'm not Jewish. I come from a place of complete impartiality. And then it becomes about truth. 'People talked about me being antisemitic. I'm not anti-any group of people. Any race, any colour. But I am anti the killing of children.' The former England striker went on to say he did not blame director-general Tim Davie for his exit, adding: 'Tim Davie I know and I get on well with. I know how difficult it is for him with what's going on. 'Do I dislike people at the BBC? Not the people that I know.' Advertisement At the time of Lineker's departure, Davie said in a statement that the pair 'agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season', after the former presenter 'acknowledged the mistake he made'. Davie added: 'Gary has been a defining voice in football coverage for the BBC for over two decades. His passion and knowledge have shaped our sports journalism and earned him the respect of sports fans across the UK and beyond. We want to thank him for the contribution he has made.' In his own statement, Lineker said that 'stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action'. The ex-Barcelona player went on to say in The New World interview that he has toned down his use of social media following the incident. Advertisement He explained: 'Social media's changed a lot. People say to me 'when did you start having a view on things?', and I say 'well I've always had a view but social media gave me the platform'. 'Perhaps I wish it hadn't. I've come off X completely. I only use it to promote a podcast now. It's just become horrible. Nasty.' Lineker also runs Goalhanger Podcasts which produces podcasts such as The Rest Is Football, The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Politics, and The Rest Is Entertainment, and the Leicester-born star revealed in the interview that his company would soon produce a science podcast. The Rest Is Football podcast, which Lineker presents alongside former footballers Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, moved from the BBC to British internet sports streaming platform DAZN following Lineker's BBC exit. Advertisement The BBC has been contacted for comment.
The Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Lisa Faulkner speaks out following John Torode's MasterChef sacking
Lisa Faulkner thanked fans for their support after her husband, John Torode, was sacked from MasterChef. Torode was dropped from the BBC cookery show after an allegation of him using an "extremely offensive racist term" was upheld by production company Banijay. Gregg Wallace, Torode's co-host, was also sacked following a seven-month investigation that substantiated 45 claims of misconduct against him. Wallace apologised for distress caused, stating his behaviour changed after 2018 and that a late autism diagnosis helped him understand his communication. Both Torode and Wallace expressed their feelings about leaving the show, with Torode mentioning focusing on other projects and Wallace criticising the BBC for "trial by media".
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Man ejected from Knott's Berry Farm for alleged racial slur loses job
A man who was reportedly caught on camera calling someone at Knott's Berry Farm a racial slur and later allegedly being involved in a physical altercation appears to have lost his job at the Riverside County water district. The incident, according to reporting from The Orange County Register, unfolded on July 12. In the widely circulated video, which was posted to both Instagram and TikTok, the man and a woman that appeared to be with him were standing in line when some sort of verbal altercation occurred. The man is then heard using an expletive followed by a racial slur aimed at Hispanic people. It wasn't until later, when the same man allegedly got into a fight that Knott's security removed him from the park for the remainder of the day. It is not clear, though, whether police were called or if the man is facing any charges related to the two incidents. In a statement put out on July 25 and obtained by The Register, the Eastern Municipal Water District in Perris said the following: 'EMWD is committed to guiding principles that include respect, integrity, accountability, and maintaining a safe environment for all employees, customers, and the communities we serve. We remain dedicated to our mission, vision, and guiding principles to provide safe, reliable services to our customers and ensuring that every individual is treated with dignity and respect.' That incident was one of two racially charged altercations at the park that day. Delta co-pilot arrested at California airport moments after landing A woman, who was reportedly upset about not getting the seat she wanted on a ride and then refused to allow the ride to go ahead, was caught on video telling some Hispanic parkgoers that she should call immigration on them. Again, Knott's security responded, removed the woman from the park and banned her for life. In a statement the theme park said: 'Providing a safe, respectful, and family-friendly atmosphere is the type of experience our guests expect and deserve and is a responsibility that the park takes very seriously. We have zero tolerance for any type of inappropriate behavior.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Edinburgh University has no need to apologise for sins of the past
The speed with which Edinburgh University's vice-chancellor Peter Mathieson has moved to issue a 'deep apology' for the university's colonial past and its links with slavery is predictable, but misguided. It was prompted by a race review which, for the past four years has been investigating the role played by the university and some of its most celebrated thinkers, reaching back to the 18th-century Enlightenment, in promoting 'racist ideas' and 'the advancement of colonialism'. Its conclusions are extreme. It argues that Edinburgh was 'a haven for professors and alumni who developed theories of racial inferiority and white supremacism'. It played 'an outsized role in developing pseudo-sciences … that habitually positioned black people at the bottom and white people at the top.' It accuses the university's sometime chancellor, and later foreign secretary, AJ Balfour, of being a racist, and blames his 1948 declaration, creating the state of Israel, for the 'historical harms' that have led to the present Middle East conflict; it goes on to recommend the university ceases 'its direct and indirect investments that are supporting the Israeli government's human rights and international law violations against Palestinian people today'. • Edinburgh University apologises for historic links to racist theories Most contentious of all, it proposes the university should drop the internationally accepted definition of antisemitism, on the grounds it prevents free discussion of Palestinian rights. This is dangerous territory. It goes well beyond the review's remit in examining the university's past links to colonialism, and suggests it should adopt a pro-Palestinian stance. By accepting the review and its recommendations, Mathieson is pitching the university into the centre of a political maelstrom. Across the western world, universities have been striving to maintain an equilibrium between those who demonstrate for Palestinian rights, and Jewish students exposed to antisemitism; in America, Harvard University and others are fighting for their very future as Donald Trump accuses them of supporting anti-Israel protesters and therefore inciting terrorism. If Edinburgh goes along with the recommendations of this review, on the grounds that a long-dead chancellor was responsible for what the review calls 'Israel's war of annihilation in Gaza', it will surrender any claim of independence at a time when establishing peace depends on diplomacy not defiance. Taking sides at a time when feelings run so high is the last thing a university should be doing. From the start, however, the review makes it abundantly clear that balance is not a priority. It says its aim is 'to shine a light on some of the darker aspects of university history', and in doing so it discounts the civilising aspects of Enlightenment thinkers such as David Hume and Adam Ferguson, preferring instead to focus on their racist inclinations, which, claims the review, have filtered through to the university's institutions today. • Student groups back Hamas legal bid to come off UK's terror list The review digs out, once again, the footnote Hume appended to one of his letters, where he suggested non-whites were of inferior intelligence; it castigates medical research at the university which examined the size and shape of African and West Indian skulls in a study known as 'comparative craniology'; it attacks, as a racist venture, the Darien expedition backed by the university, to set up a colony in Central America in the 1690s; and it even criticises the botanists searching for rare plants, who went along with it. Its conclusions are stark. The university, it says, was 'implicated in the practices and systems of enslavement and colonialism and apartheid and genocide of colonialised people across the world'.Yet even as it draws up the charge street, the review concedes the record is not quite as bleak as it is painted. 'Truth-telling,' it admits, 'is not without its complications.' Thus, as the abolition of slavery was being proposed in the late 18th century, multiple meetings were held by students and staff to debate its merits. Dugald Stewart, who taught race as part of his philosophy course, and believed Europeans were superior to non-whites, nevertheless argued that slavery was 'a moral abomination' and took issue with Hume on the subject. Even Ferguson, who is accused of holding racists views, believed that all human beings belonged to the same species. What is more, such views on race were common across Europe at the time, and were certainly not confined to Edinburgh. All of this might have contributed to a genuine debate on the study of race and race relations in the Enlightenment period. Instead the review chooses to see these early links to colonialism and slavery as influencing the whole ethos of the modern university, and proposes steps to reverse it. Among the recommendations are some that would cost the university millions of pounds at a time when its finances are in a perilous state, and would make the study of colonialism and slavery 'central to the [university's] educative mission'. It proposes the setting up of a fully-staffed centre for the study of slavery and colonialism; it recommends that all buildings financed originally by donations linked to the slave trade should be renamed, and any endowments deriving from the trade transferred to promote the hiring of academics from black or minority backgrounds. • Why students are so unhappy with Edinburgh University What the review at no stage recognises, is how the debate on academic freedom has developed since the early days of the Black Lives Matter campaign. There has been a pushback from universities which have found that promoting the interests of ethnic minorities over those of others has sometimes led to the cancelling or restricting of lecturers whose views do not conform to the current trend. Some higher education institutions have faced heavy fines for failing to stand up for the interests of academics targeted by students. There is nothing wrong with exploring a university's history, however unsavoury. That history should, however, be seen in the context of its time and judged against contemporary states of knowledge and opinion. Visiting the sins of the past on the universities of today is not only unfair, it may turn out to be counterproductive. The Edinburgh vice-chancellor's endorsement is one he could come to regret.
Al Bawaba
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Al Bawaba
Sydney Sweeney 'Great Jeans' Ad slammed as tone-deaf and racist
Published July 28th, 2025 - 02:54 GMT ALBAWABA - People don't like Sydney Sweeney's new "great jeans" ad campaign because it seems racist. The Euphoria star is in a new ad campaign for American Eagle. The motto is "Sydney Sweeney has great genes." But a lot of people on social media have pointed out that the play on words with "great genes" has racist meanings because it's linked to eugenics and praising whiteness in the past. "That Sydney Sweeney ad didn't make sense to me at first, but then I realized I should watch it with the sound on, and OH MY GOD." "Yeah, that's some fucked-up Aryan eugenics shit," someone wrote on X. American Eagle Instagram profile Someone else said, "Maybe I'm too fucking woke." "But getting a blonde, blue-eyed white woman and basing your campaign on the idea that she has perfect genes seems strange, especially given how things are in America right now." "I don't like the Sydney Sweeney jeans ad; it makes me wonder why we're promoting eugenics when the country is in such bad shape. NO, I don't want your genes." "Fuck you, American Eagle," said a third. "Are Sydney and American Eagle really hoping that people won't see this as a code word for eugenics and white supremacy?" A fourth wrote. I didn't know what everyone was freaking out about with that Sydney Sweeney ad but then I realized I should watch it with the sound on and OH MY GOD. Yeah that's some fucked Aryan eugenics shit — Dr. Mia Brett (@QueenMab87) July 27, 2025 The campaign also wants to bring attention to domestic violence through a line created by Sweeney called "The Sydney Jean." The full price of the line goes to the Crisis Text Line, which helps people with mental health issues. Maybe I'm too fucking getting a blue eyed, blonde, white women and focusing your campaign around her having perfect genetics Feels weird, especially considering the current state of America — David (@davejr307) July 25, 2025 However, some people have said that this part of the campaign is tone deaf, with one writing, "Is this really the ad they came up with to raise money for a domestic violence organization?' ✨Re: Sydney Sweeney'Genes are passed down from parent to offspring, often determining traits like eye color, personality, and even hair color…' So Sydney (& American Eagle) somehow expect audiences to not interpret this visual as a euphemism for eugenics and white supremacy? — My Fairy Godfather (@MFG_iWPJ) July 26, 2025 Another person told MailOnline, "As someone who has used and volunteered for this organization, this is SO disgustingly tone-deaf." Sweeney's next movie will be the drama Christy, in which she plays boxer Christy Martin. The movie is set to come out in September. In other news, the actor said she would like to be in a Barbie sequel with Margot Robbie. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
