Streamers Support Pokimane

Amiel Rose Andres - January 13, 2022
Streamers Support Pokimane

Pokimane abruptly stopped her stream on January 12th after being harassed by another broadcaster. Popular Twitch influencers like Mizkif and Myth are now defending Pokimane and calling for change.

After being banned from Twitch for viewing Avatar: The Last Airbender during a broadcast on January 8, Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys became a major topic of discussion on social media. Her suspension followed intense disputes over the ethics of circumventing copyright claims by watching TV shows on Twitch. Pokimane drew a lot of criticism for tempting the ban hammer, adding fuel to the fires of suspicion that Twitch’s copyright policy was about to alter dramatically… but nothing could have prepared viewers for what happened a week later.

Pokimane had to shut down her stream early on January 12th after fellow broadcaster ‘Jidion’ told his fans to attack Anys’ Twitch viewers. Pokimane cut her stream short, clearly upset.

A day later, a slew of her fellow Twitch streamers are speaking out against the hate raid, calling the harassment against Pokimane “sexist” and demanding that the way female streamers are treated on the platform be changed. 

Disguised Toast, a popular streamer, made a comparison between the hostility he received after being banned for watching Death Note and the vitriol Pokimane received following her Avatar suspension. He stated; “You can s**t on me for watching anime, but some people are using this as a reason to be sexist and hateful to her.”

Another well-known streamer, Kaceytron, responded to Toast’s message, praising him for his support and urging more males on Twitch to speak out against sexist conduct. She stated; “It always feels like women get held 100x more accountable for anything they do ‘wrong’ and it gets held over us for years. Need more men shedding light on these inequities on Twitch.”

Pokimane’s treatment has been called “blatant misogyny” by Myth, who has spoken out in support of her. He tweeted; “Child brains on the internet think I wanna f**k Pokimane because I spoke out against blatant misogyny today. How’s your day going?”

Throughout the incident, Mizkif has been a vocal supporter of Pokimane. On Twitch, the streamer slammed “simp” culture, implying that some followers may be afraid of being classified as such if they support Pokimane. 

Even YouTuber JackSepticEye chimed in with a remark on the topic, adding, “In this household, we respect strong, successful women. The amount of harassment they have to go through online for simply existing is crazy.” 

Pokimane has protected her main Twitter account, however she did publish a statement on her private Twitter page thanking her friends and fellow streamers for their support. 

Despite the fact that Anys is facing a barrage of harassment, it’s evident that her friends are on her side, with many more calling on users and social media platforms to reform conditions that are hostile to women.

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