Greek Teams Protest EU's Response To Migrant Crisis By Staging On-Pitch Sit-In

A match today in Greece’s second division between AEL Larissa and Acharnaikos began with all players, coaches, and referees sitting down on the pitch for two minutes in protest of European governments’ handling of the migrant crisis. Here is AEL’s prepared statement explaining the gesture, from :

“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.

“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.”

The protest came just a day after a boat carrying refugees across the Aegean Sea sank, killing 24 people onboard. The match continued after the protest, and AEL won, 2-0.

[ SI | Reuters]