Five Jewish young people who visited a bowling alley at the Gamestate complex on De Keyserlei Street in Antwerp, Belgium, were shocked to discover their identities described by their religious affiliation on the scoreboard. The incident occurred on Sunday when the group registered for a game and found "5 Jews" displayed on their lane's scoreboard, according to the JID Stop Antisemitism organization.
"These individuals were reduced to nothing more than their religious faith, as if someone had written '5 Muslims,'" the organization said. "This is clearly unacceptable. The young people were completely shocked by what they saw."
According to the organization, this wasn't an isolated incident at the gaming complex. "During the Passover holiday this year, I visited there with my family along with many other Jewish families," a representative of the organization told the VRT website. "One of the employees wore a shirt with 'Palestine' written on it. This was a deliberate provocation toward Jewish visitors. We simply wanted to enjoy ourselves without having a political conflict imported into a recreational space."
The JID organization contacted the management of the gaming hall, who responded with immediate action. In an official statement, Gamestate expressed shock over the incident and confirmed they had immediately terminated the employment of the staff members involved. The company also issued a formal apology for the incident.
"The company acted decisively by firing the two employees on the spot," Polak said. "This demonstrates how others should respond in similar situations." He emphasized, "Zero tolerance toward antisemitism is the only way to eradicate this phenomenon from the world."
This incident adds to a concerning pattern of antisemitic cases documented throughout Europe in recent years, as Jewish communities continue to face increasing expressions of hatred and discrimination.
