Last Updated on September 1, 2020
Ubisoft has removed imagery in its newly released Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad video game that featured a black raised fist, the symbol of the Black Lives Matter, in association with an in-game terrorist group, following left-wing condemnation of the game.
In the opening cinematic of Elite Squad, the black raised fist was shown on in-game propaganda screens produced by the fictional terrorist group UMBRA, which was seeking world domination. The raised fist was placed alongside the phrase “bring the system down”, which was reminiscent of the violent and revolutionary message promoted by Black Lives Matter, Antifa and the Black Bloc.
The narrator of the cinematic suggests that UMBRA has a revolutionary left-wing ideology, and uses protests as a tool to build support for their terrorist movement.
“A faceless organization that wants to build a new world order,” the narrator states. “They claim to promote an egalitarian utopia to gain popular support, while behind the scenes UMBRA organizes deadly terrorist attacks to generate even more chaos and weaken governments, at the cost of many innocent lives.”
The co-founders of the Black Lives Matter have described themselves as “trained Marxists”, and Karl Marx notably advocated a world revolution to forcibly institute equality.
Radical left-wing groups such as Black Lives Matter and Antifa have also been used to weaken governments around the world, often with the financial backing of shadowy progressive megadonor George Soros, who has advocated for a one world government.
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Leftists quickly expressed their outraged following this portrayal of UMBRA as an ostensibly left-wing group with similar imagery and rhetoric to existing organizations. Unsurprisingly, Ubisoft immediately capitulated and issued a statement groveling to their criticism.
“Imagery that appeared in the opening video sequence of Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad featuring a ‘raised fist’ was insensitive and harmful in both its inclusion and how it was portrayed,” Ubisoft said in a statement issued on Twitter. “We have listened to and appreciate the players and the broader community who have pointed it out and we apologize.”
Ubisoft added that the ‘raised fist’ screen would be “removed in the next title update this Tuesday, September 1 on Android and as soon as possible on iOS”.
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A representative from the Elite Squad team responded in the comments to a YouTube video that was made by a left-winger to criticize the imagery used.
“This logo was chosen because it is a universal symbol of resistance—any resemblance to images associated with the Black Lives Matter movement is coincidental,” the representative wrote. “Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad is a work of fiction and does not portray any real world events.”
In recent months, multiple video games have been announced presenting Antifa as protagonists. Far Cry 6 and Watch Dogs: Legion, both also published by Ubisoft, will allow the player to play as Antifa activists rebelling against right-wing governments. In both those situations, game developers have been eager to stress the parallels between the video game and real world events.
