Why Hasan Piker was banned from Twitch; HasanAbi's Israel embassy claims surface

Hasan Piker, aka HasanAbi, was banned from Twitch after he made posts about the Israeli embassy staff shooter, Elias Rodriguez's motive

Updated on: May 25, 2025, 09:03:16 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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Hasan Piker, aka HasanAbi, was banned from Twitch after he made posts about the Israeli embassy staff shooter, Elias Rodriguez's motive. The streamer issued a statement acknowledging the ban, and asking the streaming service to ‘change this policy’.

Hasan Piker was banned from Twitch on Saturday (Twitch)

The 33-year-old was already under fire following the shooting in Washington, DC that left two Israeli embassy staff members dead. Just two days before the incident, Piker hosted a live stream featuring George ‘Bad Empanada’ Ganitis, who has repeatedly made comments against Israelis.

Piker admitted that he did a ‘critical examination’ of the suspect Rodriguez's manifesto.

In a notice to Piker, Twitch said that it 'requires all users to ensure that anything shared on their account abides by Twitch's Terms of Service and Community Guidelines'.

“Based on a review of your activity or content, we have issued a global suspension on your account. As a result, your access to Twitch services is temporarily restricted. Please be aware that repeated violations may lead to more serious actions on your account, including longer temporary suspensions or permanent suspension,” the notice added.

In the reason section, the company mentioned ‘Improper Handling of Terrorist Propaganda Sharing content related to terrorist or violent extremist groups’.

Acknowledging the situation, the streamer said: “I covered the motives of the israeli embassy staff shooter. twitch tos 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."

Earlier this week, a suspect fatally shot two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum. The 31-year-old Chicago man accused of Wednesday's attack shouted "Free Palestine" as he was taken away by police.

Authorities in Washington said they were investigating the shooting "as an act of terrorism and as a hate crime" ahead of a preliminary court hearing set for alleged killer Elias Rodriguez on June 18.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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