Supporters of Palestine show solidarity by marching in the metaverse

More than 348,000 people visit (PALESTINE) Dataran Tanjung Mas, a virtual environment on metaverse gaming platform Roblox that went live on Oct. 14. (Screengrab)
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Updated 27 October 2023
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Supporters of Palestine show solidarity by marching in the metaverse

  • More than 348,000 people visit (PALESTINE) Dataran Tanjung Mas, a virtual environment on metaverse gaming platform Roblox that went live on Oct. 14
  • Videos of activity in the environment, shared on social media, show users’ avatars marching with Palestinian flags in their hands

DUBAI: Young supporters of the Palestinian cause who cannot show solidarity by taking part in demonstrations in person are instead protesting online using the metaverse gaming platform Roblox. However, the use of certain words and phrases by digital demonstrators has been banned by the platform.

More than 348,000 people have visited (PALESTINE) Dataran Tanjung Mas, a virtual environment created by a Malaysian user, since it went live on Roblox on Oct. 14. Users worldwide can join groups of up to 200 at a time, and videos of activity in the environment, shared on social media, show avatars marching with Palestinian flags in their hands.

Some users said Roblox had banned the use of terms such as “Free Palestine” and “genocide” from the platform, as a result of which users adopted the Palestinian flag as a symbol of protest and solidarity.

“Blocking phrases like ‘Free Palestine’ is consistent with our community standards, where we do not allow political content, particularly with regards to ‘content related to real world border, territorial or jurisdictional relationships,’” a Roblox spokesperson told news website TechCrunch.

“While our community standards allow for expressions of solidarity, we do not allow for content that endorses or condones violence, promotes terrorism or hatred against individuals or groups, or calls for supporting a specific political party.”

Virtual worlds are becoming an increasingly popular way for people to stage demonstrations and protests. In January last year, for example, nonprofit organization Superflus organized a protest against consumerism and capitalism at Samsung’s virtual headquarters within the metaverse platform Decentraland.

In August this year, Wistaverse, which describes itself as the first metaverse platform dedicated to protests and social action, launched a virtual campaign and rally to prevent the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.


Book by jailed Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti set for November release

Updated 03 February 2026
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Book by jailed Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti set for November release

  • Prison letters, photographs and other documents to feature in the book

DUBAI: A new book by jailed Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti is set for publication in November, with Penguin confirmed as the publisher, The Guardian reported.

Titled “Unbroken: In Pursuit of Freedom for Palestine,” the book brings together a selection of Barghouti’s writings, including prison letters, interviews, public statements, conversations with public figures, and other documents and photographs.

It also features excerpts from his book “1,000 Days in Solitary Confinement,” which has so far only been published in Arabic.

Fadwa Barghouti, who wrote the introduction to the book, said she hoped it would allow the world to hear her husband “in his own voice, not through the noise surrounding him.”

She said in a statement: “This book finally makes that possible — and I hope it helps people understand who Marwan Barghouti truly is, and how he embodies the Palestinian struggle for freedom and dignity.”

Barghouti, who has spent over two decades in Israeli prison, is a member of the Fatah party. He has long advocated a two-state solution and is widely regarded as a powerful and unifying voice for Palestinians, with many supporters describing him as “Palestine’s Mandela.”

His detention has prompted repeated international advocacy efforts over the years.

In December 2025, an open letter calling for his release was signed by hundreds of celebrities, including Margaret Atwood, Philip Pullman, Zadie Smith and Annie Ernaux; actors Sir Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Josh O’Connor, Mark Ruffalo and Stephen Fry; and musicians Sting, Paul Simon, Brian Eno and Annie Lennox.

In November 2025, his family and several UK-based human rights advocates ran a campaign that included demonstrations and public art installations in Palestine and London.

Barghouti has been jailed by Israel since 2004, having been handed five life sentences plus 40 years for his role during the second Palestinian uprising. He has spent significant time in solitary confinement, has been denied visits by his family for three years, and has been denied access to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

His name was on a list of prisoners to be exchanged for Israeli captives in October 2025, but Israel declined to release him.