BBC pundit forced to apologise after posting image of Rishi Sunak, President Biden and other world leaders with Hitler moustaches that labelled them the ‘Kids Killers Union’
a BBC expert had to apologize after posting an image of Rishi SunakPresident Biden and other world leaders with Hitler mustaches.
Qasim Sheikh, a former international cricketer from Scotland, reposted the photo of the Prime Minister along with other world leaders with the caption ‘Kids Killers Union’.
In the post were President Biden, Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, Olaf Scholzthe German Chancellor And Ursula von der Leyenthe President of the European Commission.
The sports expert, 39, shared the post in January, as well as other inflammatory statements that fueled the horrific Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.
Some of those statements read: “Many innocent Palestinians have just been killed in a hospital bombing. To make matters worse, oppressor Israel has tried to blame someone else for the bombing.”
Qasim Sheikh, a former cricketer, was forced to apologize after a series of social media posts emerged, including one depicting world leaders with Hitler mustaches
Mr Sheikh, 39, is now a sports pundit and will make his broadcast debut for the BBC on Tuesday. Pictured at Lords Cricket Ground in 2008, playing for Scotland
The former batsman said he did not support the October 7 attacks and apologized for any offense caused by his posts, but insisted he would continue to call for a ceasefire.
Israel denied responsibility for the explosion that killed hundreds of Palestinians on October 17, saying so instead Hamas fired a missile.
Mr Sheikh also described Mr Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer as ‘genocide enablers’.
In a post he wrote: ‘The UK and US immediately stand with Israel today, despite remaining silent for years about the atrocities committed by Israel in Palestine. By claiming that Palestine has no justification to attack, they have no right to defend themselves.”
The social media posts came to light as Sheikh, who has capped 27 times for Scotland, was lined up to commentate on the T20 World Cup for the BBC.
He will make his first appearance for England’s opening match against Scotland on Tuesday.
Orly Goldschmidt, a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Britain, said The times: ‘We condemn all anti-Semitic acts and comments. We expect the BBC to uphold its editorial values and standards, and believe that such standards should be applied wherever such anti-Semitic rhetoric occurs within the organisation.”
In 2022, former cricketers Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh opened up about their experiences with racism within the sport and a survey found 448 indicators of institutional racism.
The allegations were made against 15 people, two clubs and one regional association and included racist abuse, the use of inappropriate language and the lack of a transparent selection process for non-white players.
The Scotland batsman said he did not support Hamas’ attacks on Israel and apologized for any offense caused by his messages.
He added that he would never seek to support any loss of life and described the October 7 attack as morally reprehensible, but said he would continue to call for a ceasefire.
The BBC has been contacted for comment.
