Opposed to the friendly against Hapoel Tel Aviv, the organized ones of Aris

At the same time, nearly 2,000,000 people were displaced from their homes and land, trying to survive in hunger and poverty, while the Israeli army carried out attacks on homes and crops, most of Gaza’s schools and hospitals, and even advanced in ambushes and massacres of people while receiving food from humanitarian aid trucks.

In this gloomy landscape, there is also sport somewhere. Unlike other conflicts or wars, where we have seen the exclusion of athletes, clubs, national teams and federations from international organizations (as if the athletes are responsible for the suffering caused by the states), in this case no such thing simply does not happen (which is not what we would like), but sports and culture are used systematically and not randomly by Israel, with the help of course from the European media and states.

By organizing and participating in tournaments and events, galas, conferences, parties, and at the same time silencing the voices that speak about what is happening in Palestine, a concerted effort is taking place to wash the image of the state of Israel and present that everything they flow smoothly in the area.

Unfortunately, in this effort we see that the men’s basketball department of ARIS has also become involved. A department with a huge history, which has offered us dozens of moments of pride, and in which in recent years – at a slow but steady pace – a commendable effort has been made to get back on its feet, which deserves the support of all of us.

So we have unfortunately seen KAE first announce their presence at a tournament in Tel Aviv, next to the lands where genocide is currently taking place, and then, when Villerban withdrew due to the situation and the tournament was cancelled, announce a friendly match between ARIS and Hapoel Tel Aviv, in Thessaloniki.

From our side, as fans of the huge ARIS Association, which has 110 years of history behind it and thousands of people who have dedicated their lives to it, we cannot remain indifferent. The ARIS that our grandfathers and fathers left us is the ARIS that expresses the vast masses, while at the same time embracing the minorities. ARIS of the Greeks, Jews, and Slavs of the multicultural Thessaloniki of the early 20th century.

ARIS of the locals and refugees, Greeks and Armenians, who survived similar atrocities and crimes by the Young Turks 100 years ago, and finally the Association became a refuge for them. The ARIS of Christians and Muslims, like the legend of the Moufit Kalliontzis Association, all united under one God, the God of War. The ARIS of all social classes, as it is characteristically mentioned already from the first statute of the Association.

If some are serving political purposes, they would do well to leave the ARIS family alone. All these years we have seen various people trying to build political careers at the expense of the Association, and we do not have the memory of a goldfish, nor are we children to believe that ARIS had or will have any benefit from such a thing (unlike other associations that may to have various services, no matter what color the power was, or that even prime ministers publicly declare that they must say they support them, while just two years ago a kid, Alkis Kampanos, was murdered because he had the courage not to do exactly that the thing).

There is no benefit to the giant ARIS (who can find many alternative worthy opponents) from a friendly with a team that unfortunately supports and is supported by a regime that attacks with state-of-the-art weapons even small children, except those who directly or indirectly maintain relations with this regime.

So as Associations of this huge Association we are against this “friendly” precisely because we believe in sport that unites people, and not in sport that washes away genocides and murders of small children.

Because, as much as some would like it, we fans are not sheep. Both through the Association and from our own lives, we know injustice on our skin, and – whatever different opinions each one of us has – we have learned to stand on the side of the oppressed and the resisters.

WE SUPPORT THE EMPEROR WITH ALL OUR STRENGTH, YET WE CANNOT TURN A CLOSE EYES TO THE CRIMES THAT ARE HAPPENING TODAY, A FEW HUNDREDS OF KILOMETERS AWAY.

SUPER 3

ARIS ATHENS CLUB

S.F. ARI HIEROLOCHITES