Palestinian Game Banned by UK

Drama

02 December 2024 21:51

A pro-Palestinian shooter has been removed from sale in the UK at the request of the nation's counter-terrorism authorities.

Accoring to reports that UK players can no longer purchase Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a game that explores the conflict between Israel and Palestine from the Palestinian perspective.

Steam notified Nidal Nijm, the Brazilian-Palestinian developer of the game, that they had "received a request from authorities in the UK to block the game and have applied such country restrictions." In response, Nijm sought clarification, pointing out that his game is "not too much different than any other shooter game on Steam, like Call of Duty."

Steam replied, "We were contacted by the Counter Terrorism Command of the United Kingdom, specifically the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU). As with any authority for a region that oversees and governs what content can be made available, we have to comply with their requests."

The CTIRU issued a statement to 404 Media, saying, "We do not comment on specific content or any communications we may have with specific platforms or providers."

Speaking with 404 Media, Nijm said, "I do not blame Valve nor Steam, the blame is on the UK government and authorities that are pissed off by a video game. On their flawed logic, the most recent Call of Duty Black Ops 6 should be banned as well. As you play as an American soldier and go to Iraq to kill Iraqi people. What I can say is that we see clearly the double standards."

Tags: Game

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