Controversial far-left streamer Hasan Piker accused what he called “hysterical” pro-Israel Jews of helping legitimize antisemitism, while comparing his own role in politics to that of the late conservative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh for “Zoomers.”
The 35-year-old New Jersey-born influencer, who is scheduled to attend a Thursday protest in New York against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, criticized Jewish people who equate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Piker called that response “ridiculous” and “hysterical,” arguing that it contributes to rising anti-Jewish hate.
“And perhaps even more dangerously from their perspective, that also legitimizes the antisemites because [they] will point to that and go, ‘See? They’re doing it again,’” Piker told the Financial Times.
He was responding to questions about remarks made during a recent livestream, when he said American Jews who were “singularly invested in Israel” were making themselves vulnerable to attacks.
The socialist commentator, whose entry into left-wing politics was aided by his uncle Cenk Uygur, founder of The Young Turks, has more than three million followers on Twitch, along with millions of followers across other social media platforms. His audience is largely young and male.
For many of those young men, Piker has become a primary source of political news and commentary.
Piker rejected the suggestion that he is building a left-wing online “manosphere” to rival Joe Rogan, the right-leaning podcaster widely credited with helping mobilize young male voters behind President Trump during the 2024 election.
“A lot of these manosphere guys don’t know what they’re talking about — their level of involvement with politics is super, super basic,” Piker told the Times.
Instead, he characterized himself as a left-wing shock jock and compared his approach to Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host whom Trump once called the “greatest radio host of all time.” Limbaugh died at age 70 in February 2021 after a year-long battle with cancer.
Piker has also campaigned on behalf of progressive Democrats during the midterm cycle, including Michigan politician Abdul El-Sayed.
However, some Democrats have sought to distance themselves from the provocative streamer after he expressed sharply anti-American views, including the claim that the United States was worse than al-Qaeda.
