Confusion and unrest ran deep in the United States Capitol today as right-wing rioters descended upon the building in a futile effort to overturn a fair election that has been repeatedly held up to scrutiny and warded off unfound claims of fraud. One of those elements of confusion in the Capitol riots surrounded a tattoo on one of the participants, as some falsely said it was a mark of Antifa, a protest movement dedicated to stopping fascism and fascist government takeovers.
However, despite this conspiracy gaining steam among those trying to justify the rioters, the tattoo was instead a “Mark of the Outsider” — a symbol prominently featured in the Dishonored video game series, which would be immediately familiar to those who have played Arkane Studio’s stealth franchise. This isn’t the only time video games and the riots mixed in a confusing way, as players have recently started revisiting the Modern Warfare 2 levels that took place in D.C.
Capitol riots conspiracy theorists confuse Dishonored symbol for Antifa
https://twitter.com/Harvey1966/status/1346931748282765313
This conspiracy started when Florida Senator Marco Rubio tweeted about the riots, and another user — without a drop of irony or self-awareness — falsely replied saying the people draped in Donald Trump shirts, flags, and hats breaking into the Capitol and trying to overthrow a fairly elected government were antifascists.
Flashbangs and thick tear gas billowing over the Capitol rotunda. Riot police have reformed their lines three hours in and are pushing to retake the steps, ousting people from under the scaffolding. Crowd is slowly leaving. pic.twitter.com/2gM5kGmlp9
— Alejandro Alvarez 🫡 (@aletweetsnews) January 6, 2021
One of the photos attached to her two-word reply zooms in on a tattoo decorated on one of the rioter’s hands; a sign she signaled, without any evidence to draw from, was from “Antifa.”
However, as many Dishonored fans will know, it is the Outsider’s Mark that protagonist Corvo also has on his left hand. Harvey Smith, creative director on all three Dishonored titles, cheekily pointed this out on Twitter in his reply to the picture.
Corvo is branded with this sign on his left hand in the first game as he gets his otherworldly powers from the Outsider in order to take down those who corruptly try to seize power. Such a motive is antifascist in nature, but not a sign of Antifa. Corvo never tried to stop democratically elected officials from taking office, but only the power-hungry individuals who lied, cheated, and abused others to unfairly climb to the top.
