Gary Lineker in fresh row for defending eco activists and hitting back at Keir Starmer's 'arrogant' claim

24 October 2022, 23:28

Gary Lineker has sparked a fresh row after hitting back at Sir Keir Starmer to defend Just Stop Oil activists.

The eco protesters have turned the dial on their demonstrations this month, from covering a waxwork of the King with cake to shutting off the Dartford Crossing by scaling the bridge.

Labour leader Sir Keir branded them arrogant as he spoke to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on Monday.

But Match of the Day host Mr Lineker hit back on Twitter: "They're not arrogant, they're terrified for the future for them and their children."

It sparked a fresh row as social media users took aim at the former Leicester City and Barcelona striker.

One Twitter user said: "They're not affecting your everyday life. Kindly sit this one out."

Another said: "Gary, we're all terrified. We all at some point in our lives believe something dreadful is going to happen. It does not excuse this behaviour. There are far more better ways than that.

"Would you teach your children to behave like that if they don't get listened to?"

A third added: "Blocking traffic, throwing soup at artwork.. these will not generate support for their cause, it'll just cause people to resent them."

Mr Lineker was found in August to have broken the BBC's impartiality guidelines with a tweet.

Just Stop Oil's stunts have drawn criticism for being over-the-top or potentially off-putting to people who otherwise support green policies.

Read more: ‘It’s arrogant’: Sir Keir Starmer firmly tells Just Stop Oil supporter their protests are ‘wrong’

They threw cake at a waxwork of King Charles at Madame Tussauds on Monday.

Keir Starmer slams eco-mobs branding them 'arrogant '

Having made headlines for scaling the Dartford Crossing and shutting off traffic there for more than a day, they also blocked roads in London.

Sir Keir told LBC on Monday: "I think they're wrong, I think their action is wrong.

"I particularly think about the images we've seen of ambulances coming down the road, not being able to get through because people have glued themselves to the road.

"I think it's arrogant of those glueing themselves to the road to think they’re the only people that have got the answer to this. They haven't got the answer."

Read more: Just Stop Oil protestors throw chocolate cake in face of King Charles' waxwork at Madame Tussauds

He added: "My mum was very ill all of her life.

"She was in those ambulances when she was alive and there'll be other families listening to this who are in the same situation."

"I don't know how they can look in the eye, the families who've got someone in the back of an ambulance. They certainly wouldn't be able to look me in the eye if it was my mum, late mum now sadly, who was in that ambulance."