{"id":110187,"date":"2024-01-29T18:00:35","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T16:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=110187"},"modified":"2024-01-28T11:06:09","modified_gmt":"2024-01-28T09:06:09","slug":"26-00-92","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=110187","title":{"rendered":"Video Game on Largest Online Platform Promotes Murder of Israelis; Who Will Act?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>Video Game on Largest Online Platform Promotes Murder of Israelis; Who Will Act?<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Asher Stern<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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FILE – An aerial view shows the bodies of victims of an attack following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, lie on the ground in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel, October 10, 2023.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

You wouldn\u2019t create a game where you could play the role of the Columbine shooters, bomb the USS Cole, or fly the planes into the World Trade Center. Those atrocities do not have two sides; the line between right and wrong is clear. Yet, according to the creator of the first-person shooter game Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque<\/i><\/a>, this clarity is not applied to the October 7 Hamas massacre.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fursan<\/em> was launched in late 2021 on the world\u2019s largest digital gaming distribution platform, Steam<\/a>. In early December 2023, the game received a gruesome update<\/a> \u2014 one that follows and praises the October 7 Hamas terrorist infiltration of Israel, and the wholesale massacre, rape, torture, and abduction of Israeli citizens, 136 of whom are still being held hostage in Gaza.<\/span><\/p>\n

This game incites obscene and gratuitous violence against Israelis, with a protagonist whose goal is to murder IDF soldiers under the slogan, \u201cWith bullets and blood we will free Palestine\u201d \u2014<\/i> a known euphemism for the violent destruction of the State of Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fursan<\/em>\u2019s creator includes a thinly veiled disclaimer<\/a> that the game does not promote antisemitism or \u201cterrorism\u201d \u2014 but the quotation marks around terrorism indicate just how little he regards the very real terrorism and violence that Israelis endure. Further, one only needs to look at some of the comments on the game, ranging from age-old antisemitic tropes to active support for \u201cresistance\u201d (a code word for terrorism), to gauge this game\u2019s audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

One specific instance is an exchange from October 9, while Israel was still reeling from Hamas\u2019 brutal attack. A comment reads, \u201c\u2026they made this game in real life,\u201d with the developer responding, \u2018\u201dThey made a Live Action Trailer\u2026 .\u201d For some, the violence that this game promotes may be mere virtual reality, but for Jews, it\u2019s a constant reminder of the genocidal goal of Hamas and other Iranian-funded terror groups: the complete and utter annihilation of Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n

The availability of Fursan<\/em> on Steam demonstrates a symptom of a much deeper issue. Yes, freedom of speech and artistic expression are cornerstones of democracy; however, this game crosses all acceptable boundaries. The \u201cresistance<\/i>\u201d that the game invites its players to join, is the same resistance that raped, murdered, tortured, and kidnapped innocent civilians in the real world.<\/span><\/p>\n

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While this game promotes hatred online, the United States is seeing an explosive increase in antisemitism and violence against Jews off the screen, according to FBI figures<\/a>, with the ADL reporting a 337% jump<\/a> in incidents since October 7 alone.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Games like Fursan<\/em> provide fertile soil for the growth of hatred, antisemitism, and incitement. It is a rallying cry that sits on one of the largest online gaming platforms in the world, with nothing seemingly being done about it on the part of Steam or its parent company, Valve.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the world evolves, so do the ways hatred is expressed and cultivated. Extremist groups are increasingly using online gaming platforms <\/a>both to spread their messages and as a method to recruit members to their ranks. A 2022 study<\/a> identified Steam itself as having become a hub for such recruitment.<\/span><\/p>\n

If terror groups utilize Fursan<\/em> as a recruiting tool, that could place Steam and Valve in violation of Federal anti-terrorism legislation, which comes with serious ramifications, including potential fines and\/or imprisonment.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the most serious ramification is the effect this game can have on its players. By encouraging violence, the game leads to the perpetuation of extremist ideals and the legitimization of terrorism among young adults, which could result in more hate-filled attacks in the US and abroad.<\/span><\/p>\n

Steam and Valve have a responsibility as a leading global platform for gaming to prevent the abuse of their software for incitement to violence and terror, and remove this game before it\u2019s too late and someone is harmed. The results of incitement, like the October 7 massacre, are no game.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Asher Stern<\/strong> is the Head of Operations at the <\/i>International Legal Forum<\/i><\/a>, an Israel-based network of over 4,000 lawyers and activists around the world standing up for Israel and combating antisemitism in the international legal arena. He holds a BA in Government, Strategy, and Diplomacy from the IDC and an MA in International Relations from the Hebrew University.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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Video Game on Largest Online Platform Promotes Murder of Israelis; Who Will Act? Asher Stern FILE – An aerial view shows the bodies of victims of an attack following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, lie on the ground in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel, October 10, 2023. You wouldn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110187"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=110187"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110269,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110187\/revisions\/110269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=110187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=110187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=110187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}