Spending time in the martial arts community makes you used to referring people to names like SonicFox, HotDog29, and Dr. PeePee. Recent edits of Super Smash Bros. Melee the players are full of words like that, and one at the top Smash the contestant uses his gamer tag for a clear political purpose: to defend a free Palestine.
By the 2019 census, Anees “Free Palestine” Assaf is considered seventy-two Super Smash Bros. Melee player in the world, thanks to works on events such as The Big House and The Full Bloom. His placement is a huge jump from I'm just lost in the top 100 in 2018. Earlier, Assaf was known as “Milhous,” a handle he chose as a hobby for former US president Richard Nixon. In April 2018, Assaf changed his tag in response to a Twitter trend asking players to specify the handle they selected for the competition. Less than a year later, he published a Twlonger further clarifying the reasons for his decision to change his name and provide first-hand information on the issues Palestinians face.
Although born and living in the United States, Assaf had two citizens of the Palestinian state and made many trips to the region for the rest of his life. This gave him the opportunity to look at how the remainder of the Palestinian territories were handled under Israeli nomination, the equivalent of the apartheid state in his first Twitlonger. The Palestinian people have very few rights compared to their Israeli counterparts under current law, and although there are many United Nations resolutions criticizing the Palestinian people, the United States has always prevented any action from being taken and its support for Israel.
“I thought about how big this story was for me and how I had a few opportunities to explain it Smash players during competitions and road trips, ”he told Assaf Kotaku in conversation about what prompted him to change his handle. "After the tag & # 39; Free Palestine & # 39; came into my head, I just changed the [player registration site] Smash.gg and Twitter and didn't look back."
Assaf described the responses from Smash The community's name is changed to "normal good," and he offered an extra level of appreciation for his local area at Ohio State University for their support and their willingness to learn about Palestine. As is often the case, however, online interactions through platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, and Twitter are completely different and often racist. Assaf said he had been told not to "meddle in politics Smash"It's human rights that allow them to ignore the plight of others, but for the most part, you find that players have not been found truly illiterate in circumstances and willing to listen.
"People's understanding of the situation is very different from person to person, but I have asked people to talk to me about the problems and the history of differences, which shows that they have thought about it for a while," Assaf explained. “But the other side of it is very common. I have asked people to tell me that they think Palestine is a city. I have talked to people who thought I was talking about Pakistan all the time. Ever since I changed, I've had DM people ask me questions on this subject, and at many Smarthouse meetings I didn't know they asked me about it and gave me an opportunity to explain my point of view. ”
Assaf does not put too much weight on his placement Super Smash Bros. Melee levels of 2019, otherwise they can do it to spread his message. He explained that he was "slightly upset" that he did not make the cut in 2018, but has since come to the conclusion that Smash Players put more emphasis on rankings. That said, access to this position also means that a free Palestinian marker will be visible and viewed by a large part of the community, allowing the Assaf message to spread far beyond what you already have. Since the announcement of his position, Assaf has shared that he has been contacted by even some high school playmates Smash.
"I want people to look at the vision that the Palestinian people have," Assaf said. “Even the facts do not address how it feels to be set up and searched in your country and banned by many of them for being Palestinian. No matter how this is expressed in our media, the people who talk about it are often not Palestinians, so our view is lost. ”
Ian Walker he loves fighting games and loves writing about them and more. You can find her on Twitter at @iantothemax.
