'Game of Thrones' Actors Urge the EU to Help Refugees in Greece
When they're not conquering, scheming and battling their way around the Seven Kingdoms, the cast of Game of Thrones shows a much more charitable side in real life.
This week, Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) and Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth) paid a visit to northern Greece to get familiar with refugee programs run by the International Rescue Committee. They met with a small number of the 57,000 refugees currently stranded in the country as a result of the EU-Turkey deal made in March.
"These smart, hardworking people want to go home," Headey said of the crisis. During their visit to the island of Lesbos, the actress met a Syrian mother whose husband is in Germany suffering from cancer. "They're stuck. And they're unbelievably sad. Understandably. We can do better for them. We must do better for them," she added.
Williams had a soft spot for the younger victims, whom she described as having "so much potential, so many hopes and dreams." Meanwhile, Cunningham met with Afghan fathers who told him stories about leaving their countries.
"This is not an earthquake, this is not a tidal wave. This is a man-made crisis," he said. "57,000 stranded in Greece. Refugee camps in Europe? Is this truly the standard EU leaders want to set as the way to respond to the global refugee crisis?"
This isn't the first time the GoT cast has shown concern for the refugee crisis in Europe. Earlier this year, the actors teamed up with IRC for a campaign video and took part in a fundraiser where they sold signed GoT merchandise for the cause. The partnership between the show and the organization was appropriately called #RealmToTheRescue.
Watch the video-starring Williams, Headey, Cunningham and more-below.
