“I hate these chickens, scrawny little birds, just feathers and bones.”
―Separatist
The Separatist is a Terrorist faction featured in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
The Separatists were introduced in the August 10th 2012 update.
Official Description[]
Claiming an overwhelming desire for self determination, this European minority faction has stooped to heinous acts of terror in order to achieve their nationalistic vision.
Overview[]
Judging from their uniforms, they were based on the etarras, the members of the real-life Euskadi 'ta Askatasuna (ETA), a now-dissolved left-wing Basque separatist group. Their goal is the independence of the Basque Country, which is located in Southern France and Northern Spain, and had engaged in terrorist attacks and activities throughout Spain, such as Operation Ogre in 1973 (which led to the assassination of the admiral and then-Prime Minister of Spain Luis Carrero Blanco after the car transporting the admiral ), the Hipercor supermarket bombing in Barcelona and the attack on the Tarragona EMPETROL refinery, both in 1987, as well the kidnapping and killing of Basque councilor Miguel Angel Blanco in 1996). The hood with the beret resemble those worn by ETA members during their public apparitions to keep their identities incognito.
Appearance[]
The separatists wear a white hood, black beret, shirts with symbols on them, and olive/grey pants.
Their hand model features royal blue sleeves identical to the GIGN hand model with leather gloves.
Map Appearances[]
Controversy[]
Prior to the offical release of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, it was announced that the game would include a "separatist" playable faction with aesthetics and symbols similar to ETA. A Spanish official and a Spanish consumer group have requested the removal of this playable faction from the final version, claiming that its inclusion trivializes terrorist violence and is offensive to the victims of ETA attacks.[1]
Despite the Spain goverment involvement, the separatists remained in the game and still exist in Counter-Strike 2 in the forms of stickers.
Trivia[]
- The Separatists can be momentarily seen on Italy in the first trailer for Global Offensive.
- This faction is the first non-fictional Terrorist faction included in whole Counter-Strike series. It is also the only one to have their origins in Southern Europe.
- A Terrorist faction based upon the ETA was first introduced in Counter-Strike Online with the name "National Liberation Campaign".
- They will occasionally make radio announcements regarding chickens. Their statements include the comparison of the birds to their enemies, the Counter-Terrorists, and the desire to eliminate them swiftly.[citation needed]
- The default gloves used by the Separatist is identical to the default gloves of the Phoenix Connexion, the Balkan, and the Professional.
- They are one of the two factions that have quotes for planting the bomb on bombsite C, the other Terrorist group being the Professionals.[2]
- A Separatist Steam Trading Card seems to have been planned at first but never reached the final version. It was visible in an image on the official Steam page for Steam Trading Cards, but the image was later deleted. The most likely reason was the aforementioned controversy.
- In the Perfect World edition, the Separatist's shoulder patch is different because it looks too similar to the Chinese flag.
References
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