Search icon

Gaming

29th Dec 2019

Violent Hong Kong protests have now spilled over into Grand Theft Auto

Rory Cashin

gta online hong kong

Players have begun to dress like protestors and riot police and are battling it out online.

For more than six months now, protests have been taking place in Hong Kong, initially organised to stop the introduction of a bill that would allow Hong Kong residents to be extradited to mainland China to face trial.

While the bill has since been shelved, the protests remain in place, now primarily to look into the potential corruption within law enforcement agencies.

This week, it has been reported that the protests have now – in some shape or form – been transplanted on to Grand Theft Auto Online.

Players have begun to dress their characters in the notable Hong Kong protestor outfit: black clothing, gas masks, and yellow construction hard hats.

In retaliation, Chinese players have begun to dress their players like riot police, and both sides began to practically mimic the real-life protests.

Chinese streamer Mickey Chang told CNN Business that “an online brawl that took place on a GTA 5 Online server between pro-Hong Kong protestors and mainland China supporters.”

Pro-Hong Kong players threw petrol bombs at riot police controlled by mainland players. Mainland supporters responded in kind with water cannons and tear gas, before emerging victorious through their greater numbers.

Chang stated that he liked to play as a protestor in GTA Online in order to help spread awareness of the ongoing protests in Hong Kong.

Rockstar Games, the developers of the GTA series, have yet to comment on the situation.

Clip via REALITY VIDEO