Aykut Demir is a central defender who plays for Erzurumspor, in Turkish D2.
This modest 33-year-old player is not used to being talked regarding beyond national borders, even though he played in the Netherlands in his youth. But this Sunday, he was the only member of his team to take to the field without a t-shirt bearing the message “No to war” and he was thus noticed. Especially since he is the captain of his team.
After coming under heavy criticism on social media, Demir took the trouble to explain his choice: “Thousands of people are dying every day in the Middle East and no action is being taken to expose it. Of course, I’m sad of the current situation and I share the pain of all those innocent people. But those who ignore the persecution in the Middle East are now taking action for a conflict that concerns Europe…”
