British Counter-Terrorism Unit Demands Halt to Steam’s Sale of Controversial Shooter

UK Authorities’ Demand: Steam Removes Violent Game Citing Counter-Terrorism Concerns

In a recent development, Valve has removed a game from its British Steam storefront after receiving a request from the UK’s Counter-Terrorism Unit. The game in question is Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a first-person shooter that addresses the Israel-Palestine conflict from a Palestinian perspective.

Steam sent a notice to the game’s developer, Nidal Nijm, stating that they had received a request from authorities in the UK to block the game and had applied country restrictions. When Nijm inquired about the specific reason for the ban, he was told that the UK’s Counter Terrorism Command, specifically the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU), was responsible for the decision.

"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 the [sic] oversees and governs what content can be made available, we have to comply with their requests," the email read.

It’s clear that the game’s content sparked concerns over terrorism by UK authorities, who often work with technology and online service providers to combat the spread of harmful content.

However, the game’s developer, Nijm, believes that the ban is a result of political reasons and not a justified call to action. "The region lock of my game in the UK was clearly due to political reasons," he stated. "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."

This development comes as no surprise, as the game was already banned in Germany and Australia for not going through the respective classification boards. Despite this, the game remains available to purchase online outside of the UK, including in the US. In the UK, the Steam page simply displays an "Oops, sorry!" message, stating that the item is currently unavailable in the region.

The removal of this game highlights the complex and ever-evolving landscape of online content regulation, where governments and online platforms must navigate issues of terrorism, free speech, and political sensitivity.