Villa fans join #RefugeesWelcome movement

If you're European, there's no ignoring it - something's not right with the world right now; but it's been like that for a while. Greece fell into financial catastrophe in the hope they may have called the bluff of its many creditors, David Cameron isn't really sure whether the UK should just bail from the European Union and there's been Left-Wing upheaval in Spain thanks to Podemos. It's long been a 'fact' that the Middle East has been the World's problem child, but that window of uncertainty, that cradle of instability, is slowly but surely shifting it's way across the Mediterranean, through Istanbul and into Europe.

We could go on for days about that, weeks in fact. The meat of the issue right now is the Refugee Crisis sweeping from the border patrols in Macedonia to England's Channel tunnel. People are being forced out of their homes due to a war they likely didn't want a damned part in and all anyone can seem to do right now is find someone to blame.

The drowned corpse of a young Syrian boy is celebrity figure here in the UK, people are flocking to 'sides' of the argument like it's some kind of special edition of American Idol, David Cameron used the word 'swarm' to describe the refugees and migrants fleeing the region. Let's also not forget the word swarm is closely related to the words infestation and insect.

These human beings are being called names and being treated as a political football by many. In most cases, instead of lifting a finger, the pictures of dead bodies are being used as PR weaponry in a frenzied arms race that will show 'who was the best at being nice to the refugees without doing a thing'.

Some countries can't avoid the crisis: Germany, France, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey are linked to Syria by land, meaning people will obviously have to walk those borders to get anywhere. That means they have to do something about the thousands of people walking on their lawn. Others, like England, are afforded a buffer of water and have the option of forestalling action. And for many in England, that has been the choice made.

Leave it to Aston Villa to be a number of lights in the darkness. They've not jumped to Bayern Munich levels of charity, but as reported by The Guardian - Villa fans will be holding a "Refugees Welcome" banner during the game with Leicester City. It's nothing incredible - but in a sense, that's exactly what makes it so outstanding. The fact that a bunch of guys at a football match can open their hearts and minds when seemingly nobody else can is mindblowingly awesome.

The fact it's my favourite football team makes it that much sweeter.

You may have worked hard for what you have, you've fought all your life for what you own - you've saved for your car and your Playstation 4 - you've earned it; just don't forget that some people never had the chance to earn or fight or work. In terms of pure humanity, there's not much separating you from the people fleeing Syria. You just had the fortune of being born in a nicer part of the world and in reality all that separates them from us is a few lines marked in the dirt. Put away your fears, put away your bias - we all need to go back to basics and if a bunch of bitter Villa fans can spend their thoughts and words on the thousands of refugees fleeing to safety, we all can.

Note - please give Amnesty International a view for news and updates on the crisis.

Robert's note: Comments are closed on this post as after only a few religious intolerance was a primary theme. Such intolerance and sweeping bigotry will not be tolerated on 7500 to Holte.