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By Lucas Nolan
Three major brands have pulled their ads from Amazon’s Twitch streaming platform following allegations that the company is enabling antisemitic content.
Bloomberg reports that AT&T, JPMorgan Chase, and Dunkin’ Brands have withdrawn their advertising spots from Twitch, the popular gamer-oriented streaming service owned by Amazon. According to insider sources, the decision comes amidst a controversy stirred up by a group of exiled Twitch streamers who allege that the platform is promoting antisemitic content. A fourth major sponsor, Chevron, is also reconsidering its future support for TwitchCon, the company’s annual convention, after its brand appeared in the backdrop of a contentious panel discussion at the event.
The allegations primarily revolve around Hasan Piker, a prominent Twitch streamer known for his pro-Palestinian stance and criticism of Israel. Piker’s detractors have launched a coordinated campaign accusing Piker and Twitch of enabling antisemitism on the platform.
Piker, who describes himself as “an advocate for Palestinian emancipation” and “a fervent combater of antisemitism,” finds himself at the center of an uncomfortable situation for Twitch. The streaming giant has taken steps to moderate offensive content and protect advertisers’ brands, including asking political streamers to label sensitive content and barring the use of the term “Zionism” to attack others based on their background or beliefs. The Anti-Defamation League, which consulted with Twitch on these policies, gives the company high marks for combating hate on social media.
Breitbart News previously reported that Piker told his audience of deranged leftists that America “deserved” 9/11:
“America deserved 9/11, dude. Fuck it I’m saying it,” Piker said during an expletive-laced tirade he broadcast live on the internet.
Piker later doubled down on blaming America for 9/11, a terrorist attack that killed nearly 3,000 in New York, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon.
“americas foreign policy decisions has lead to 911. this would’ve been a controversial thing to say in 2001. stop being a fucking idiot,” he tweeted Wednesday.
Twitch maintains that it does not tolerate antisemitism and applies its guidelines consistently to all streamers. The company has also made changes to help sponsors control where their ads appear. However, the targeting of Twitch advertisers by detractors has been highly organized, with campaigns coordinated through Reddit forums, Discord chat rooms, and mass-email initiatives. Critics have accused Piker of being sympathetic to Hamas and other U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, and have shared edited clips of his streams to paint him in a negative light.
Breitbart News recently reported that Twitch was forced to apologize when it was revealed that the platform was blocking new users from Israel.
Read more at Bloomberg here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
