Independent Media | Campaigning Journalism
While the world plays PokemonGo for fun, Palestinians are playing for their lives [TWEETS]
Palestinians and their sympathisers are flooding Twitter with edited photographs and pictures of how it looks like to play Pokémon Go, the new Nintendo augmented reality game that is trending worldwide, in occupied Palestine. And what they show doesn’t look nice.
The craze surrounding Pokémon Go has caused many incidents around the globe. The game has been criticised for using locations such as cemeteries and memorials, as well as for prompting private property trespassing and negligent driving. But these problems pale in comparison to what Palestinians face every day – with or without the game.
Hunting Pokémons can be difficult when they sit across the West Bank illegal wall or behind Israel military forces:
What #PokemonGO looks like in Gaza, Palestine. pic.twitter.com/pmx3T6aReU
— Salim Kassam (@msalimkassam) July 14, 2016
Read on...
https://twitter.com/Pray4Pal/status/756741073469378561
#PokemonGO #palestine pic.twitter.com/JzrnFOQQPH
— adel sabaneh (@adelsabaneh) July 13, 2016
When you play Pokemon Go in #Palestine ..!!#ApartheidWall #PokemonGO #FreePalestine #EndOccupation pic.twitter.com/DNKXtNVWw5
— Said Shoaib_ Gaza (@saidshouib) July 13, 2016
#ポケモンGO→#Gaza→#Palestine→#Yemen→#Syria→#Iraq→#Sudan→#Libia→#Afghanistan→#Refugees→#PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/Z9mI3xke0A
— KO_SLANG (@KO_SLANG) July 22, 2016
IDF hunts Pokémons at Gaza-City https://t.co/t8zjFvPSHC #PokemonGO #Smombie #Smartphone pic.twitter.com/qAPWn0c2Wf
— Smartphone Zombies (@TheSmombie) July 21, 2016
#PokemonGO GAZA Edition#gaza #Palestine #blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/4ywMiD6zyq
— ZED 🤐 (@ZedTrafficker) July 18, 2016
The game is also being used to denounce the struggles that Syrian children face:
Syrian children is holding photos for #PokemonGO asking people to rescue them. pic.twitter.com/RgMVHTTYVO
— Satar (@Satar_Gaza) July 20, 2016
#PrayForSyria
I am from #Syria come to save me!!! pic.twitter.com/lRbSlGsWrB— إعلام قوى الثورة (@RFS_mediaoffice) July 20, 2016
Hopefully, the images will shake some consciences and raise awareness of the dramatic situation that war and illegal occupation has brought upon innocent civilians.
Featured image via Twitter/Salim Kassam
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