Popular children’s game Roblox faces backlash over antisemitic material after concerned parents found it contained burning Israel flags and avatar named ‘Hatred of Jews’
An online gaming platform aimed at children is exposing under-18s to disturbing examples of vile anti-Semitism, including burning Israeli flags and avatars labeled ‘Hate against Jews’, it can be revealed today.
Roblox, a gaming space that lets users create worlds from scratch and visit others, allows anyone to log into spaces and see images of avatars made to look like anti-Semitic caricatures, dressed in clothes commonly worn by the Jewish community is supported.
MailOnline has seen evidence of Israeli flags being burned next to what appeared to be jihadist flags, blood-dripping avatars saying “I will not rest until Palestine is free” and statements such as “Israel are dogs” or the Israeli flag, followed by the poop emoji.
Anyone can create a Roblox account with no age verification and no restrictions on the types of content they can view in these spaces.
Much of the despicable content appears to be a response to the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, the terror group that launched an incursion into Israeli territory on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people and kidnapping more than 220.
One avatar wore a T-shirt that read “I can’t keep calm until Palestine is free” while appearing to be covered in fake blood
Some messages posted on Roblox platforms included “Israel is trash” and “Israel should die”
One world showed burning Israeli flags against the backdrop of a Palestinian flag
In response, Israel has launched a massive operation, including the bombing of the Gaza Strip, which it initially completely besieged, and a rapidly advancing ground operation that it says has claimed the lives of dozens of terrorists.
Thousands of people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict broke out.
While many of those who used the platform to advocate for a free Palestine did not share hateful messages, within minutes our journalist saw messages such as “F*** Israel,” “Die Israel,” and “Israel will never become a country.”
One user wrote: ‘Canada, Britain, USA and France are shortcomings, but we have Russia.’
A second added: ‘We also have China, and North Korea.’
Another person said: ‘C**p Israel and your children’.
One avatar was created using anti-Semitic tropes and carried bags of money. Others were called “Jew-hating” or wore pro-Palestinian T-shirts while appearing to be covered in fake blood.
In the same spaces, MailOnline also found evidence of Islamophobia, including statements such as ‘I side with non-Muslims’ and ‘Palestine is not a state’.
But the anti-Semitism was much more overt: other users wrote “Israel is (the) worst country” and “Israel is dogs.”
Parents shared images with MailOnline showing avatars openly styled with anti-Semitic tropes
Comments on the platform, which is aimed at children aged eight to 14, include ‘Israel are dogs’
There was also evidence of Islamophobia within the same platforms, with users making comments such as ‘I side with non-Muslims’.
The shocking revelations came after the Met Police revealed that anti-Semitic hate crimes have increased by 1,350 percent
While many of those who used the platform to advocate for a free Palestine did not share hateful messages, our journalist saw messages such as “F*** Israel,” “Die Israel,” and “Israel will never become a country.”
The site is largely aimed at children between eight and fourteen years old, with the latest data showing that 70 percent of users are under the age of 16.
Many of the comments were made in a room modeled after the design of a mosque.
The shocking revelations came after the Met Police revealed that anti-Semitic hate crime has increased by 1,350 percent since the crisis began, compared to a 140 percent increase in Islamophobic hate crime.
Some of these crimes are alleged to have occurred during last weekend’s march in solidarity with Palestinians, which saw more than 100,000 people turn out for a largely peaceful event.
Police made nine arrests on Saturday, including a man after a police officer was hospitalized after being hit by a megaphone, causing a laceration to his head.
The man, 41-year-old Atif Shafiq, has now been in prison for six months.
Since then, two women have also been arrested on suspicion of incitement to racial hatred, following a video in which several people performed a chant that appeared to call for the slaughter of Jews in Trafalgar Square.
A Roblox spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by the terrible conflict in Israel and Gaza and our thoughts go out to those affected in the area or to those who have loved ones, family and friends who have been affected.
‘While our community standards allow expressions of solidarity, we do not allow content that endorses or condones violence, promotes terrorism or hatred against individuals or groups, or calls for support of a specific political party; this includes any anti-Semitic behavior.
“As this complex situation evolves, our expert team of thousands of moderators and automated detection tools are closely monitoring our platform and will take swift action against content or individuals that violate our standards.
“We also encourage everyone to report content or behavior that may not align with our community standards by using our Report Abuse feature.”