The streaming platform Twitch has suspended the channel of current US President Donald Trump. The suspension will remain in effect until Trump leaves office. Twitch aims to prevent its platform from being used to incite violence.
What kind of punishment is this? Twitch has imposed an unusual punishment. Normally, Twitch issues temporary or permanent bans, making the channels of streamers unreachable. All videos and clips on Twitch can no longer be accessed.
However, Donald Trump’s channel has received an adjusted suspension: The existing videos are all still viewable, but no new broadcasts are allowed to be shown.
The suspension is to remain in place until Trump leaves office.
What is Trump doing on Twitch? His team primarily uploads campaign speeches by Trump. The last one was three days ago from Georgia. There, he told voters they must choose the Republican candidate, who loves them. If they choose the wrong candidate, he would betray them immediately, underfund the police, ruin the economy, and tarnish the heroes of the USA.
Twitch bans Trump to protect the community
This is what Twitch says about the ban:
“In light of yesterday’s shocking attack on the Capitol, we have made President Donald Trump’s Twitch channel unavailable. Considering the extraordinary circumstances and Trump’s incendiary rhetoric, we believe this is a necessary step to protect our community and prevent Twitch from being used to incite further violence.”
A statement from Twitch to several US outlets
Twitch refers to the attack by demonstrators on the Capitol. Trump had previously spoken to the demonstrators in a speech, discussing marching to the Capitol. Subsequently, riots occurred that garnered worldwide attention.
Twitch becomes a political medium for millennials
What’s behind it: Twitch was never as significant a platform for Trump and his movement as Twitter or Facebook, but Twitch is steadily gaining importance in all areas. Some viewers, likely mainly millennials, followed the US election on Twitch and listened to political streamers like HasanAbi.
Twitch had already banned Trump once in June 2020 – due to hate speech. But that was just a temporary ban that later expired.
In connection with the attack on the Capitol, Twitch has already deleted the emote “PogChamp”. It was one of the most popular emotes on Twitch and has a long history on the platform:
