Apple pulls all iOS apps featuring Confederate flag

In the wake of the tragic Charleston church shooting in South Carolina last week, Apple has begun summarily removinggames from the iOS App Store that feature the Confederate battle flag.

The Confederate flag is a remnant of the American Civil War, then used by the southern states, though more recently adopted by white supremacists. The Charleston shooter, 21-year old Dylann Roof, had posed online with the flag, before killing nine victims and wounding a tenth at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. 

The attack has triggered a national discussion in America surrounding the iconography of the flag, with even political rivals Barack Obama and Mitt Romney agreeing -- via Twitter -- that it should be removed from the South Carolina capitol. Many retail stores have also stripped their shelves of merchandise bearing it.

Apple's move is in line with the physical retailers, and means titles such as Game-Labs's Ultimate General: Gettysburg and a variety of Civil War-era games by Hunted Cow are now absent from the App Store. The move seemingly extends to any game with the flag appearing in it, even if used in its accurate historical context. As a result, some users are accusing the corporation of attempting to censor history.

In a blog post, Game-Labs' Nick Thomadis' confirmed the Confederate flag was the reason for the game's removal, adding that "Ultimate General: Gettysburg could be accepted back if the flag is removed from the game's content."

"We accept Apple's decision and understand that this is a sensitive issue for the American Nation," Thomadis continued. However, defending the game's historical accuracy, he added that "we are not going to amend the game's content and Ultimate General: Gettysburg will no longer be available on AppStore. We really hope that Apple’s decision will achieve the desired results."

Developers whose content has been removed are being told it is "because it includes images of the confederate flag used in offensive and mean-spirited ways", irrespective of actual content or context. Apple's heavy handed response at a time of national tragedy is understandable, but still arguably an over-reaction. It remains to be seen whether titles using the flag in its original setting will be returned to the store when the sight of it isn't such a painful reminder of the real-world tragedy.