Five Jewish youths wanted to go bowling at Gamestate on De Keyserlei in Antwerp last Sunday. What was supposed to be a fun evening turned into shock and disbelief. Their names did not appear on the scoreboard, but the text “5 Jews”.
The youths reacted with astonishment. Naftuli Pollak of the non-profit organisation JID Stop Antisemitism said that it felt as if they were being reduced to their religion.
“As if you were to say: 5 Muslims. You just don’t do that.”
Non-profit organisation points to previous behaviour of staff at Gamestate Antwerp
Pollak said that it was not the first time that Jewish visitors felt uncomfortable at Gamestate. During the Jewish Easter holiday, he saw an employee wearing a T-shirt that said “Palestine”.
“That felt like a provocation. We came with our families to have fun, not to fight politically.”
For the non-profit organisation, the cup is full.
Gamestate reacts strongly and immediately dismisses employees involved
The Gamestate operators were immediately notified of the incident. They acted quickly. The two employees who were involved in the registration of the young people were dismissed on the spot.
Gamestate apologized and called the incident serious and inappropriate. According to the organization, there is no place for this kind of behavior.
Roel Veltmeijer of Gamestate calls the incident unacceptable
Roel Veltmeijer, CEO of Gamestate, gave an official statement after the incident.
“Last weekend an incident took place at our location in Antwerp. This goes against our standards and values as Gamestate.”
He emphasized that Gamestate wants to be a safe place for everyone.
“We stand for an inclusive and safe environment where everyone has fun.”