An Italian antisemitism watchdog organization has decried a video game from Brazil that contains “antisemitic intentions” and incites violence against Israelis.
The Antisemitism Observatory highlighted the fact that video game ‘Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque’ has users playing “Palestinian freedom fighters” attacking IDF soldiers, according to Italian news site TGCOM24.
The game became popular online in the last six months of 2021, attracting attention for letting users act as terrorists murdering Israels in violent ways, the monitor explained.
The game has been listed as “coming soon” on the popular video game platform Steam.
“In the confusion between the real world and the digital world, this game teaches how to kill Israelis,” the Antisemitism Observatory said in an op-ed. “The video game has, therefore, been denounced by the Italy-Israel Associations in the public prosecutor’s offices of Asti, Savona and Reggio Calabria for ‘acts of violence with the purpose of terrorism, apology of crimes aggravated by the use of computer tools, and incitement to violence on racial grounds’, as well as ‘apology of the Shoah.’”
Fursan al-Aqsa was also brought up in the Italian parliament, with lawmakers asking the government what immediate actions it was undertaking – including regulatory moves – to stop the video game’s release.
Reportedly, online footage of the game shows low quality graphics of terrorist attacks against Israelis and also the depiction of antisemitic tropes and conspiracies.