EU Parliament Member Criticizes ‘Woke Ideology’ for Harming Video Games in Debate on Game Censorship

Yesterday, the European Commission and members of the European Parliament convened in Strasbourg, France, for a four-day plenary session where EU representatives discuss and vote on various topics proposed by the Conference of Presidents. One of the key issues on the agenda was the Stop Destroying Videogames initiative, part of a movement often referred to online as Stop Killing Games.

During the debate, any member of the European Parliament could voice their opinions, which led to an unexpected and off-topic tirade from Milan Uhrík, the leader of the far-right Slovakian party Republic Movement. Uhrík launched into a passionate critique of the portrayal of an African samurai in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

“Wokeness and aggressive monetization are ruining video games,” Uhrík declared. “If we’re discussing what’s harming video games here in the European Parliament, let me be clear: the imposition of extreme woke ideology and political correctness is a major issue.”

Identifying himself as a “computer game player,” Uhrík cited two instances of what he termed “woke ideology”: a vague reference to a game featuring a queer character and the aforementioned Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

“For instance, if we want to play as a samurai, we should be able to embody a Japanese warrior, not be compelled to play as a black warrior or a female warrior, as seen recently in Assassin’s Creed,” he argued. “Or to be forced to play as a queer character without any other options. This is genuinely a concern for players.” His comments echoed sentiments expressed by an irate Ubisoft shareholder during a 2025 investor briefing.

Before anyone rushes to claim Uhrík as a champion of their cause, it’s important to note that the Republic Movement has been labeled a “neo-fascist” party by Slovakian media. The party was established in 2021 by members who broke away from the People’s Party Our Slovakia.

The split occurred in 2020 amid various controversies, including Anton Grňo being fined for a Nazi salute and party spokesperson Ondrej Ďurica being linked to a neo-Nazi band called “White Resistance.” Additionally, party MP Milan Mazurek was convicted by the Slovakian Supreme Court for making racist anti-Roma remarks during a local radio broadcast.

I can’t help but wonder what Uhrík would think of the Wolfenstein games.