Streaming platform Twitch suspended popular leftist commentator Hasan Piker following controversial remarks he made about last week’s deadly terror attack on Israeli embassy staff in Washington, D.C. The platform cited “improper handling of terrorist propaganda” as the reason for the temporary ban.
Piker, who has more than 2.8 million followers, discussed the motives of the shooter and implied the attack may have looked like a “false flag.” While he claimed not to believe in the theory himself, Twitch flagged the broadcast for violating its terms of service regarding terrorist content.
“I covered the motives of the Israeli embassy staff shooter,” Piker posted. “Twitch TOS [terms of service] dictates a suspension for even critical examination of the manifesto. I believe this is a bad policy for news and press freedom. I’ll take the suspension, but hope Twitch changes this policy in the future.”
The suspension came shortly after Piker stated on a stream, “You could not have designed a better false flag incident like this.” He later added, “I’m not saying it is a false flag incident at all. I’m not saying that. I think this is just one dude who is genuine in his actions and maybe, you know, a little bit brain broken.”
The alleged gunman, faces federal and local charges for the murder of two Israeli nationals—Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim—outside the Capital Jewish Museum. According to an FBI affidavit, Rodriguez shouted “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” and “Free Palestine” as he surrendered to authorities.
The attack and its aftermath have intensified scrutiny on online commentary surrounding politically motivated violence. Piker, known for past controversial remarks, including a 2019 statement that the U.S. “deserved” the 9/11 terror attacks, has repeatedly courted backlash.
Twitch’s action marks a growing effort by platforms to police content tied to terrorism or glorification of violence, even in commentary or critical analysis. While Piker framed his remarks as skeptical questioning, Twitch interpreted his broadcast as a breach of policy.
Piker remains unapologetic about his stream content.
