The Twitch streamer Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker is raising funds to support the earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey. However, some people’s aversion to him seems to be so strong that they want to prevent the donations.
What good cause is it about? Like many others, the streamer was shaken by the earthquake that struck parts of Turkey and Syria on February 6. More than 4,300 people have lost their lives, many more are still missing and may be buried under the rubble (via CNN).
In addition, there are people whose access to water or electricity has been cut off.
On the same day, HasanAbi shared a fundraising call from the Turkish streamer Jahrein and promised to do everything in his power to help those affected (via Twitter). After just 15 minutes, it is said that $150,000 in donations had already been collected (via Twitter).
But the streamer’s efforts have been sabotaged.
Viewers prevent $50,000 donation
How was the fundraising campaign sabotaged? Several major content creators wanted to participate in the fundraising campaign. Among them was YouTuber IShowSpeed, who is usually known for his quite hyperactive and loud streams.
IShowSpeed not only called on his viewers to donate but also wanted to contribute $50,000 himself. However, fans of the streamer claimed it was just a scam: HasanAbi would pocket the money himself and go on expensive shopping sprees.
Personal aversion should not stand in the way of a good cause
How is this being discussed? YouTuber Cr1tikal talked about the situation in a spontaneous video. He made it clear that both HasanAbi and IShowSpeed are indeed controversial figures in the streaming scene, but in this case, they are undeniably doing something good.
Cr1tikal urged viewers not to let their personal aversion to the content creators blind them or come up with reasons why what they are doing is somehow wrong:
No matter how you look at it, bringing money to people in need after such a tragedy is a great thing. […] You may dislike Hasan until the end of days, you can tear them apart on Twitter as much as you want, […]. But when he does something good, like this, don’t try to find some crazy way to depict it as a terrible thing.
Cr1tikal via YouTube
HasanAbi is not aware of any wrongdoing
How does HasanAbi himself react? The Twitch streamer has now expressed himself in his own stream about the attempts to sabotage his fundraising efforts. He said he has done nothing wrong, neither in this situation nor in the past.
He has only bought a house and a nice car, according to HasanAbi. However, he pointed out that there are major problems right now, and affected people suffer from the consequences when donations are blocked.
I hate it. These people are so damn desperate to portray me as the villain, even when I am actively trying to raise money for a cause, that they harm the fundraising efforts. Literally, people are buried under rubble right now.
HasanAbi
Despite the opposing efforts, HasanAbi has already raised over $700,000 in donations (as of February 7, 8:20 PM, via softgiving). On Twitter, the streamer thanked his community:
The incredible sum that HasanAbi has already been able to raise for the earthquake victims shows the influence Twitch streamers can have when they use their reach for a good cause. Be it large planned fundraising marathons or completely spontaneous actions:
Gronkh shows a fundraising call on Twitch, over €14,000 collected within 15 minutes
