Refugees welcomed as mascots

Everton FC has fans adhering to many different political stances so for it to take a view and present it as consensually representative of all of us is intolerable. Then again, Bill is a luvvie and most luvvies are lefties...

So I say, leave it out of football altogether.

Refugees are a problem after every war and they were far worse after both World wars. These are mainly innocent people caught up in a terrible upheaval and every country needs to give help. Germany for example are taking far more than we will be expected to.

I cannot agree with your comments at all!

The club is showing compassion and that is to be applauded. I don't see how this is different from our other initiatives.

Saying that they should stop in Turkey, a country more or less in league with ISIS, seems a bit naive to me. These are people. How can their culture be existentially hostile to us? They are just people who want to get on with their lives.

Well done Everton. We can all knock the board for not appearing to have direction, but we really are in a league of own for projects like this and bringing the community together. We really are first class!

This is not a political gesture. It is a humanitarian gesture. But feel free to enlighten me as to the so called hostility these particular refugees have towards "our" culture, whatever "our" means in that context.

Quite how, educated Christians are 'existentially hostile' to the UK beats me, I'm afraid... but never let the facts get in the way of a good rant !!

I recommend a quick read of: 'Grahl-Madsen - The Law on Refugees' by the [Norwegian] Professor of International Law at Harvard .... it really is an eye-opener!

What I.S. do to Chriatians is literally, unspeakable. They recently decapitated a Jesuit priest, because he fed Shia Muslim children, from a soup kitchen [IS are Sunnis].

Surely, Everton in the Community, means Everton in EVERYONE'S community.

However, the wider message is Everton believes we should welcome refugees into our community. I'm not so sure it's right for a football club to be getting involved in politics in that manner.

My own view on this particular situation is that it is a humanitarian issue and any form of solidarity - no matter how insignificant - with those unfortunate people who find themselves blighted by war or having their lives put in danger by despots and fanatical regimes would be welcomed by those people and should on the whole be applauded.

It's quite probable that no one will read this, but it makes me feel better writing it. Naming no one, as I do not wish to be disrespectful, may I humbly offer a different perspective...

The horrendous realities that refugees suffer around the middle east on a daily basis:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34196629

If that human perspective doesn't sway you; you can always rest that financially, you personally and we as a country are actually better off by accepting refugees:

"...studies find that immigrants around the world are more likely to start businesses than the native-born and less likely to commit serious crimes, and that they are net contributors to the public purse. The fear that they will poach jobs or drag down local wages is also misplaced. Because they bring complementary skills, ideas and connections, they tend to raise the wages of the native-born overall..."

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21662547-bigger-welcome-mat-would-be-europes-own-interest-let-them-and-let-them-earn

Someone on here talked about Islam not being a culture and they couldn't be more correct. Just as the British view of Christianity can be markedly different from those around the world...a tiny example of this being Christians in many Middle Eastern countries will fast for lent. Fasting here by the way is not the "I'm giving up chocolate" sense of the idea, but the exact same no water and no food from dawn till dusk that their Muslim neighbours comply to for Ramadan.

My wider point here is that we can't generalise and say those Christian, those Muslims, those (Syrian) immigrants, because your existential understanding of what 'they' are is different to how 'they' feel about themselves. From my experience having travelled extensively particularly around the Middle East, people are people.

NB* This argument obviously excludes the radical like of IS, who I simply can't comprehend!

My final point, which brings me back to our great club and the history we proudly sing about each week. We have always been welcoming to immigrants:

"Along with neighbouring Vauxhall, Everton traditionally housed the city's Irish, Italian and Polish immigrants..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everton,_Liverpool

From all areas of the world, far and in this case very near:

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlmayo2/irish_liverpool.html

(If you can't be bothered reading this it's about Irish immigrants coming to Liverpool during the potato famine and working themselves out of poverty).

Having contemplated our history, I hope you think about this when you sing our song, and I hope like me you are proud that our club opens its arms to all those in need.

With respect,

Phillip.