Piers Morgan rages at Gary Lineker over protest – ‘Does this make it a hate march?’

Piers Morgan has waded into a row with Gary Lineker after he criticised the Home Secretary for naming a pro-Palestinian protest a “hate march”.

Suella Braverman had taken to X, formerly Twitter, to blast a proposed protest on Armistice Day as a “hate march”, adding it was “entirely unacceptable”.

The BBC presenter argued in response: “Marching and calling for a ceasefire and peace so that more innocent children don’t get killed is not really the definition of a hate march.”

However, Piers then joined the fray, questioning whether protesters carrying Hamas flags or “chanting ‘from the river to the sea’ & other anti-semitic abuse” would be sufficient to make it a hate march.

Hamas flags have occasionally been spotted at pro-Palestine demonstrations since the October 7 attack by the terrorist organisation, but are far from common.

Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the Israel – Hamas conflict.

A more frequent feature of the marches however is the phrase “from the river to the sea”, which has garnered significant debate over whether it is anti-semitic – with Labour MP Andy McDonald being suspended from the party for using it at a protest, as he called for Israelis and Palestinians to “live in peaceful liberty”.

The phrase, originating from the 1960s, refers to the geographical area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea – which includes both the state of Israel and Palestinian-occupied territories.

Some argue the phrase – which in full reads “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – has genocidal intent, and that it is used to call for Israel and Jewish people to be wiped from the area entirely.

The slogan has been claimed by Hamas following their devastating attack on October 7, which killed 1,400 people in Israel.

However, others have argued the phrase refers only to the freedom of Palestinian people in the area, rather than the destruction of any others.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Former minister Jonathan Gullis weighed in further on Mr Lineker’s statements, saying: “Gary Lineker shows yet again his limited capacity to understand what is really going on.

“But sadly this snooty sneering ‘star’ of the BBC has been empowered by Tim Davie to carry on boring the nation with his ill-informed drivel.”

Today thousands have gathered in Trafalgar Square to protest the war and call for a ceasefire.

Next week’s proposed protest, which will also call for an immediate ceasefire and be held next Saturday, November 11, will be met with a vastly increased police presence.

Rishi Sunak earlier warned that the Cenotaph, along with other war memorials, could be “desecrated” if protests are able to go ahead unchecked.

The Met has committed to a “significant policing and security operation,” and added: “We’re absolutely committed to ensuring the safety and security of anyone attending commemorative events.”

The force said it will take a “zero-tolerance approach” to “those who commit hate crime and criminal disruption”.

Retrospective facial recognition software will also be in use to crack down on protesters.

There has also been a rise in both antisemitic and islamophobic attacks in the UK since the full-scale war between Israel and Hamas began last month.

The Palestinian death toll has reached over 9,400 as Israel continues their brutal airstrikes and missile attacks in Gaza.

Hundreds of lives are further said to be at risk if hospitals run out of fuel, including newborn babies in incubators, but Israel has denied fuel entry into the area, claiming it will be used by Hamas in their tunnel network.

The US and other Western countries have called for “humanitarian pauses” to allow aid into Gaza as supplies run low for Palestinian civilians.