Watford striker Andre Gray has joined his former Burnley team-mate Ben Mee in condemning the actions of a group of Clarets supporters, who organised a plane to fly over the Etihad during Burnley's match with Manchester City carrying a banner with the message, "white lives matter - Burnley".

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Gray said it was "just pure racism" and completely missed the point of the Black Lives Matter movement.

“For them to anti-protest what we’re protesting against just speaks volumes in itself,” he said.

“Because if you read about what the Black Lives Matter movement is about, it’s not about white versus black or anything like that, it’s a peaceful thing about wanting equality in the country we were born and raised in.

“I think a lot of them are scared to see us as being equal to them. So it’s ignorance, it’s fear, it’s a lot of things and at the end of the day it’s just pure racism.”

Gray said social media was revealing how deep the problem with racism is currently and why the Black Lives Matter movement is needed.

“It only takes you to see an interview posted on Twitter and then read the comments to see what people are saying and realise what people really think,” he said.

“I think social media has really exposed all of that now and people are coming out of the woodwork now who you wouldn’t even expect, even people that I know.

“It’s quite shocking but that’s the world we’re living in and that’s the reason the Black Lives Matter movement is going on at the moment.”

Gray's former Burnley teammate Mee said he was both embarrassed and ashamed of the banner and that it did not represent the views of the Burnley players or the club.

The Hornets' striker backed up Mee's opinions but said there was still much more work to be done.

“He [Mee] spoke really well. Obviously I know Ben really well and he’s a very educated person,” he said.

“He’s very clear and open and I think he spoke perfectly, and I think that sums him up as a person.

“I’m a footballer and I played for the club so I wouldn’t have experienced it [racism] like that, but the question is if my younger brother or my friend who’s the same colour as me walked down the street, how would they be treated?

“As footballers we’re in a bit of a privileged position in not receiving that sort of abuse off your own fans, but that’s not what the argument is about here, it’s about everyone else who isn’t in our position.”