Ralf Little targeted by Twitter trolls over playing football with refugees in Calais Jungle

The actor said he was dubbed a 'terrorist supporter' and 'disgusting' for helping the charitable initiative Play 4 Calais

Ralf Little (Getty Images)

Ralf Little has revealed how he became targeted by Twitter trolls after joining a charitable initiative helping refugees at the Calais "Jungle" camp.

The actor, known for his roles in The Royle Family and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, said he was dubbed a “terrorist supporter” and “disgusting” while helping Play 4 Calais, a group setting up football pitches and pop-up cinemas in the “Jungle”.

Speaking to LBC radio, Little said he wanted to help the organisation as it was providing a “humanitarian response to a humanitarian issue”.

“There are charities and organisations that already give basic needs [to refugees]… but they want to feel human and kind of normal, and what more universal language than football, so [Play 4 Calais’] initiative is to go out, play football with them, do pop-up cinemas with them, maybe theatre and all that kind of thing.”

However, after joining the group and playing football with refugees in Calais, Little said he was lambasted by Twitter trolls suggesting he was “encouraging migrants”.

“I got quite a few things like, ‘Pat yourself on the back, you’re just trying to help people immigrate in illegally’ and ‘It’s disgusting what you’re doing out there’.

"'You’re aiding terrorism’ and ‘All Muslims are evil’ and it’s just complete nonsense.

“I got a lot of people out there saying, ‘Well if they were so desperate to get away from the horrors that they got away from, why didn’t they just seek asylum in any one of the countries they must have walked through’.

“The answer is that many of them did, and actually a lot of the reason why the guys who are in Calais are in Calais, is because they have friends or family in England who they’re trying to get to, just like the people who stopped in Germany… and the people who stopped in Poland.”

Thousands of refugees live in the squalid "Jungle" camp as they attempt to reach the UK.

About 4,000 people are estimated to live in the camp - down from 6,000 in December – and the refugees’ presence has driven far-right sentiment in both Britain and France.