Neo-Nazis are using Steam to peddle their fascist beliefs, and Valve’s poor moderation of the platform is allowing them to do so.
The Atomwaffen Division has a Steam group which directs readers to the neo-fascist outfit’s external website and its YouTube account, with the Steam page reading: “The failure of democracy and capitalism has given way to the Jewish oligarchies and the globalist bankers resulting in the cultural and racial displacement of the white race.”
The group was uncovered in a Vice Motherboard report, which describes the recent history of the Atomwaffen Division:
“In January, Atomwaffen Division member Samuel Woodward allegedly murdered 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein, who was gay and Jewish, and Discord chat logs obtained by ProPublica show the organization celebrating the act. According to ProPublica, the group has around 80 members in cells scattered across 23 states.”
The group’s YouTube account reportedly included videos in which masked members were shown chanting “gas the kikes, race war now,” though the videos have since been removed from the channel. Additionally, one of the members of the Atomwaffen Division used a photo of South Carolina mass murderer Dylann Roof as their avatar, along with the screen name “PURE ARYAN 100%” and Nazi imagery on their profile.
Searching through other Steam pages that Atomwaffen Division’s 16 members also subscribe to reveals a pattern of anti-Semitism and racism on the platform. Another page, titled ‘My Little Pony is Zionist Propaganda,’ sees its members freely spouting bigotry. One member uses the screen name “DAT N****” alongside an image of an incarcerated black man, with their profile page containing the racist “WE WUZ KANGZ” meme, which is used online in order to devalue the accomplishments of black people throughout history. Other screen names include “get these jews out” and “N***** are KKKrying.” The group has over 1,700 members and has been active since 2013.
Steam was criticized last year after it was revealed that school shooter William Edward Atchison had posted multiple racist messages on the platform, including swastikas and anti-Semitic propaganda. The platform’s poor moderation has frequently been brought into question, and browsing through various pages reveals a plethora of racism tucked away on the service’s groups and message boards. Valve’s rules for the platform indicates that no such behavior is allowed on Steam, though these groups still remain active.
