TwitchCon has now become the latest streamer safety nightmare. Over the weekend, popular Twitch streamer Emiru was assaulted during her meet-and-greet when the stage-rushing fan physically grasped her arm and dragged her into an uninvited hug. The viral video depicts Emiru clearly uncomfortable as she attempted to struggle away prior to the arrival of the guards who took away the attacker.
Even though Emiru was physically fine after the incident, it highlighted the very tangible risk faced by content creators at conventions. And Valkyrae, one of the biggest names on the internet, did not mince her words about criticizing Twitch for what she feels is an epic failure.
“Seeing Emiru get assaulted after Twitch banned her preferred personal bodyguard from being there to protect her and watching the guy walk away in the clip is incredibly disappointing. Stay safe everybody, nothing but love to you emi,” Valkyrae tweeted, further stoking the debate around stream safety.
The Bodyguard Ban That Launched A Thousand Ships
The irony here? Emiru had previously opened up about Twitch banning her longtime bodyguard from attending TwitchCon, despite him being the one who once protected her from a stalker. She recalled an incident from two years ago when a man followed her around the event. Her bodyguard restrained the individual until con staff and police arrived, but Twitch’s response was to hit him with a permanent ban.
“For some reason they were like, ‘Because your security guard touched him, he’s perma-banned from the venue forever.’ But he didn’t even hit him… It was like my favorite security guard. I can’t have him at TwitchCon anymore. That’s f***ed,” Emiru shared in a past stream. With her trusted guard sidelined, this year’s incident feels like a tragic case of déjà vu, only this time captured on camera for millions to see.
Twitch Reacts to the Uproar
After the video went viral and the ire of the streamers reached its boiling point, Twitch released an explanation via industry reporter Zach Bussey.
“The safety and security of all those attending TwitchCon is our highest priority. The behavior displayed by the individual involved in this incident was completely unacceptable and deeply upsetting. We immediately removed this individual from TwitchCon premises, and they are banned indefinitely from Twitch, both online and in-person events. Twitch has zero tolerance for harassment,” the website said.
While the reaction realizes the crisis, the majority of creators do not think that Twitch’s “zero tolerance” policy can be used to ban the same bodyguard who once guarded Emiru.
