Said he would open doors to his family home in Kent and London flat Aid campaigner described the migrant crisis as a 'sickening disgrace'
By THOMAS BURROWS FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 10:12 GMT, 4 September 2015 | UPDATED: 11:28 GMT, 4 September 201
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Bob Geldof has offered to immediately take in four families as he expressed disgust at the migrant and refugee crisis in Europe.
The aid campaigner and singer said he would open the doors to his family home in Kent and his flat in Battersea, London in a personal response to the shocking scenes on borders, beaches and railway stations.
The harrowing image of three-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi, who died with his five-year-old brother Galip and mother Rihan trying to reach the Greek island of Kos, has sparked an international outcry over the human cost of the crisis.
Speaking today, Mr Geldof said: 'If there's a new economy then there needs to be a new politics and it's a failure of that new politics that's led to this disgrace, this absolute sickening disgrace.
'I'm prepared - I'm lucky, I've a place in Kent and a flat in London - me and (partner) Jeanne would be prepared to take three families immediately in our place in Kent and a family in our flat in London, immediately, and put them up until such time as they can get going and get a purchase on their future.'
he musician has owned the 12th century Davington Priory in Faversham, Kent, since the 1980s. The historic building he will open to refugees is a listed former Benedictine nunnery.
It is adjoined to the parish church of St Mary Magdalene and St Lawrence and has a small connecting door leading from the Priory into the church.
Sir Bob's wedding to his first wife Paula Yates was blessed there in 1986 and daughter Peaches Geldof married husband Tom Cohen there in 2012.
But it has also been used for family funerals with both Paula's funeral being held there in 2000 and Peaches's funeral last year following her death from a drugs overdose aged 25.
Geldof told Ireland's RTE Radio: 'I can't stand what is happening. I cannot stand what it does to us.'
The Boomtown Rats frontman has been involved in humanitarian work for almost 40 years, most notably with the organising of the Live Aid concert in 1985 and the Band Aid Christmas single.
The 63-year-old said the pictures of Aylan's body and other distressing reports from borders and cities across Europe, were a source of shame.
He said: 'I look at it with profound shame and a monstrous betrayal of who we are and what we wish to be. We are in a moment currently now that will be discussed and impacted on in 300 years time.'
Geldof said he was in his home last night and could not grasp the depth of the crisis and the limited response from governments when he decided he should put his money where his mouth is.
'I've known, you've known, and everyone listening has known that the b******* we talk about, our values, are complete nonsense,' he said.
'Once it comes home to roost we deny those values, we betray ourselves, but those values are correct, and it happens time and time again.
'So we are better than this, we genuinely are.'
Geldof said he was on the Italian island of Lampedusa 12 years ago where he visited a refugee camp and spoke to the mayor who said every morning dead men, women and children were being washed up on the rocks.
The aid campaigner described himself as a migrant.
He warned 'environmental decays' will worsen the migrant and refugee crisis in coming decades.
'All of this is happening now. We must have the politics and the humanity to deal with it. It makes me sick and a concert won't do it,' he added.
In June, Geldof said Europe could 'easily absorb' 250,000 refugees fleeing war-torn countries.
He said: 'The argument throughout Europe politically and nationally is migration causes huge problems, so you have to take that on board. Clearly the answer is to allow for these people to have a life in their own countries. No-one wants to leave their own country.'
His intervention comes as David Cameron used a visit to Portugal today to set out a commitment to welcome 'thousands' of Syrians living in UN refugee camps in Britain as he stepped up efforts to tackle the crisis.
The Prime Minister vowed that 'Britain will act with its head and its heart' as he announced plans to dramatically expand a scheme to resettle over 10 times more refugees in the UK.
But crucially, he ruled out playing any part in an EU quota scheme and there will be no move to accept any of the thousands of people who have reached Europe already.
It follows intense political and public pressure on the Prime Minister to rethink his policy.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby urged Mr Cameron to 'respond with compassion' while Labour's acting leader Harriet Harman said it was 'deplorable' that the government was 'putting its head in the sand and showing itself to be heartless and out of touch'.
More than 340,000 people signed a petition calling for the UK to 'accept more asylum seekers and increase support for refugee migrants'.
