Pokemon Go in Auschwitz ‘offends memory of victims’

Bartosz Bartyzel has appealed for the producers to prevent the use of sensitive locations in the game.

“We call on the producers to remove the Auschwitz Memorial site and other such places from the game now, and in the future,” he said, adding that the inclusion of such sites “offends the memory of victims.”

Players of Pokemon Go search for virtual objects and prizes that are superimposed onto real locations. It is based on the popular Japanese cartoon and has become a craze since launching last week in the United States.

The Auschwitz camp was set up by the Nazi Germans in occupied Poland during World War II and over a million people were killed there - mostly Jews but also many Poles, Roma and prisoners of war from other nations.

The Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington has also reported problems with Pokemon Go. The game features hidden items in three places in the museum. The institution’s director of communications said he hoped the museum would be removed from the game. (bb/pk)

Source: PAP/Polish Radio/onet.pl