The last year has seen plenty of ups and downs. Far-right political parties have continued to gain ground in countries around the world, particularly in Europe. For instance, Lega Nord, a far-right ultranationalist party, became the 3rd largest party in Italy following the 2018 general election. On October 2018, we saw the election of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil--a fascist who has openly called for the murder of leftists--with capitalists in the US, Canada, and Europe cheering him on. Just a few weeks ago, on March 15, at least 50 people were massacred by white nationalists in a terrorist attack on two different mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. In many cases, liberal politicians, pundits, and business owners have shown their complicity and willingness to collaborate with fascists for the sake of profit and power.
At the same time, anti-fascists in the US and elsewhere have organized to push the burgeoning Alt-Right movement off the streets and back into the shadowy corners of the Internet. Ongoing efforts to deplatform and expose fascists, such as prominent white nationalist Gabriel Sohier-Chaput (aka Zeiger) in Montreal, have had a significant impact, substantially reducing their ability to recruit and organize in some areas. Former prominent Alt-right figures like Milos Yiannopoulos and Richard Spencer have also been successfully pushed out of the limelight.
The continuing struggle against fascists extends into the games industry and the surrounding culture. In 2018, Game Workers Unite was founded, pushing for unionization and workplace organizing, with significant successes. There are chapters around the world, and outreach efforts have publicly connected the question of workers’ rights and the fight against abuse, discrimination and bigotry. It’s in this context that we are launching the 2nd edition of the Antifascist Game Jam, in the hopes that it inspires others to join and carry on the fight against fascism!
