Annons
Annons
Lo primero, como cada día, nuestra portada — La Razón (@larazon_es)November 15, 2015
But to those familiar with Gamergate's worst actions, the photo doctoring will come as no surprise. Select members of this group exemplify many of the problems the authorities face in dealing with online harassment. Gamergate as a whole is decentralised, largely composed of anonymous individuals but capable of bringing an enormous amount of manpower to bear on those it declares "enemies". Members of the group have denied any connection between Gamergate and the Photoshopped picture of Mr Jubbal, but we can prove the link.TW's original Photoshop image was discussed with blacktric on August 11th, but first appeared on August 13th.
Annons
Annons
Make your own call on the motivations behind those questions or, better yet, consider them in the context of the Breitbart article's headline and tone: "Media fooled by deplorable, irresponsible, absolutely not funny trolling of Gamergate critic." Posters on KIA reacted with depressing eye-for-an-eye reductivism: "When you've been calling other people terrorists for over a year, can you really complain when someone calls you a terrorist?"Further to this, Gamergate supporters reposted the image on Twitter, while others added to the confusion by faking tweets from Mr Jubbal, such as this:Asking for comment is the best bit of my job. Look forward to hearing from you, — Milo Yiannopoulos (@Nero)November 15, 2015
Annons
For all its ethical crusading, Gamergate is labelled a hate group for very clear reasons, with members previously pulled up for posts full of misogyny, racism, anti-Semitism and transphobia. It has savagely attacked its targets, with Mr Jubbal just the latest victim, and justifies this by saying their victims bring it on themselves. "This is poetic justice, he contributed to his own misery," reads a typical post from KIA user gtt443.But perhaps linking an innocent man with one of the most despicable terror attacks on European soil, within hours of it happening, will be what brings Gamergate to an end. Mr Jubbal is currently safe and well at home in Canada, and intends to sue those responsible. He has released a statement on the Photoshopping incident (read it in full here), which includes the following words:"The dark horror of violence in Paris and Beirut last week is mourned by 25 million Sikhs and over 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide. I ask that the media outlets that ran my image immediately retract my photo and apologise, but also take the time to learn and educate their readers about the Sikh faith, the fifth-largest religion in the world."When we paint entire faiths and communities with the same brushstroke, we further give terrorists exactly what they want. We're strongest in the face of terror and bigotry when we stand together. This false image is an opportunity for all of us to hopefully grow together in our shared understanding for one another."Read more gaming articles on VICE here, and follow @VICEGaming on Twitter.Related, on Motherboard: SXSW Announces More Speakers at Harassment Summit, Relocates Gamergate Panel