Australian branches of Target are removing Grand Theft Auto V from sale following “feedback from customers about the game’s depictions of violence against women.”

The new came through a public statement from Targets’ GM of corporate affairs Jim Cooper, who said the decision was made after “extensive community and customer concern about the game”.

“We’ve been speaking to many customers over recent days about the game, and there is a significant level of concern about the game’s content,” Cooper said. “”We’ve also had customer feedback in support of us selling the game, and we respect their perspective on the issue. However, we feel the decision to stop selling GTA5 is in line with the majority view of our customers.”

He continued by saying that Target will continue to sell other 18 rated films and games, and that the decision is specific to GTA V:

“While these products often contain imagery that some customers find offensive, in the vast majority of cases, we believe they are appropriate products for us to sell to adult customers.

“However, in the case of GTA5, we have listened to the strong feedback from customers that this is not a product they want us to sell.”

This decision comes after a petition from Austrailia was launched calling on Target to remove the game because it “encourages players to murder women for entertainment”. At time of writing, the petition has acquired over 41,000 signatures.

The petition writes: Please Target- we appeal to you as women survivors of violence, including women who experienced violence in the sex industry, to immediately withdraw Grand Theft Auto V from sale.”

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