American YouTuber and streamer Zach Hoyt, better known as Asmongold, has been banned from Twitch following controversial remarks about Palestinians during a live stream. The influencer referred to Palestinians as coming from an “inferior culture”, sparking a row across social media, according to BBC news.
The suspension of the five-million-follower streamer follows widespread backlash, with Twitch enforcing its community guidelines, which prohibit content that promotes discrimination or expresses inferiority based on protected characteristics.The account where the comments were made now displays a message saying it is “temporarily unavailable” for violating the platform’s rules.
In response, Asmongold took to X (formerly Twitter) to apologise. “I’ll do better,” he posted, acknowledging his mistake by saying, “Of course no one deserves to have their life destroyed even if they do things or have views I find regressive.”
Asmongold, who was streaming on his Zachrawrr channel, had previously commented that he didn’t feel sorry for Palestinians affected by the Israel-Gaza conflict, calling them “terrible people” from an “inferior culture.” He later admitted he had been “way too much of an a**hole” during the stream and issued a second apology video on YouTube. In this video, he described his own comments as “disgusting” and apologised for failing to distinguish between his issues with extremism and the broader population of Palestine.
Facing criticism from fellow Twitch streamers, including BrookeAB, who called the comments “straight-up racism,” Asmongold now claims he will reassess his behaviour. He has vowed to create less mean-spirited content, cut back on streaming, and focus on a healthier work-life balance, according to TheGamer.
