Scottish children being 'brainwashed' by Neo-Nazis through popular video game Minecraft

The popular video game is being used to radicalise young people into joining the far-right by Neo-nazis using 'sick' far-right propaganda including avatars resembling Adolf Hitler

Scottish Daily Express/February 26, 2025

By John Glover

Experts have warned that Scottish children are being 'brainwashed' by the far right on the world's most popular children's video game. Concerns have been raised that neo-Nazis are exposing young people to vile propaganda on Minecraft with the aim of radicalising them.

Fascists are said to be using the game's open-ended tools that allows users to build worlds to characters to flowers to make avatars that resemble Adolf Hitler, KKK members, perpetrators of mass shootings and even Jews being burnt alive at concentration camps.

Senior adviser to the Counter Extremism Project, Ian Acheson, warned that video games were the "perfect way to recruit kids" due to how "easy" it was to disguise interactions that were "seamless and social".

Ashton Kingdon, author of The World White Web claimed that far-right propaganda was "everywhere", added: "It's a Wild West where young people, especially those who spend a lot of time gaming, can find their tribes. Extremist groups are well aware of this and use these platforms to push their messages on vulnerable players.

"This neo-Nazi, fascist propaganda is spread on in-game chats of regular games, it takes place on bespoke games, and there are instances when people have hosted virtual reality Nazi dinner parties online. Children are being exposed to these images and content to the point that they don't see a swastika as a problem."

A report by the Royal United Services Institute on radicalisation through gaming found that 34% of players had encountered extremist imagery with 25% citing that the content suggested to join an extremist group. As part of its findings it found that Minecraft was used to depict Nazi death camps.

Microsoft which owns Minecraft told The Times: "We have dedicated team working on player safety and moderation, providing in-game reporting tools and offering filters to autoblock inappropriate content.

"Microsoft prohibits terrorist and violent extremist content, and we leverage a range of tools including proactive detection technologies to address content and conduct that violate our policies."

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