Greek soccer teams AEL Larissa and Acharnaikos needed just two minutes to draw worldwide attention to the plight of those who risk everything in order to migrate to Greece and other points in Europe.
Larissa and Acharnaikos delayed the start of their second-division game Friday by sitting down in protest of authorities’ indifference to the deaths of migrants, who flee war-torn countries only to drown in the Agean Sea. The moving gesture took place at AEL FC Arena in Larissa and involved all 22 field players plus coaches and substitutes on the sidelines.
“The administration of AEL, the coaches and the players will observe two minutes of silence just after the start of the match in memory of the hundreds of children who continue to lose their lives every day in the Aegean due to the brutal indifference of the EU and Turkey,” AEL said in a message over the loud-speakers, according to The Guardian.
“The players of AEL will protest by sitting down for two minutes in an effort to drive the authorities to mobilize all those who seem to have been desensitized to the heinous crimes that are being perpetrated in the Aegean.”
Greece has become the entry point to Europe for many migrants and refugees fleeing conflict zones in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Many attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea in small boats, and at least 244 died in January, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@ForTheWin
