NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News
Twitch is banning the popular emote “PogChamp” after Ryan Gutierrez, the man depicted in the emote, tweeted in support of the rioters on Capitol Hill.
Guiterrez, better known as Gootecks, tweeted “will there be civil unrest tonight for the woman who was executed inside the Capitol today, or will the #MAGAMartyr die in vain?”
Will there be civil unrest for the woman who was executed inside the Capitol today or will the #MAGAMartyr die in vain?
The video will be aired soon on (banned dot video) & (theresistance dot video) and it sounds pretty gruesome
— gootecks (@gootecks) January 6, 2021
The woman, later named as Ashli Babbitt, was an Air Force veteran and Trump supporter who was part of the group which stormed the Capitol building. The riots were in response to Joe Biden being officially confirmed as President by Congress.
In a statement, Twitch confirmed that the PogChamp emote would be banned, although the words “pog,” “poggers,” and “PogChamp,” would still be allowed.
“We’ve made the decision to remove the PogChamp emote following statements from the face of the emote encouraging further violence after what took place in the Capitol today,” Twitch said in a statement on Twitter.
We will work with the community to design a new emote for the most hype moments on Twitch.
— Twitch (@Twitch) January 7, 2021
“We want the sentiment and use of Pog to live on – its meaning is much bigger than the person depicted or image itself– and it has a big place in Twitch culture. However, we can’t in good conscience continue to enable use of the image.”
PogChamp and its variants are typically used to express shock, surprise, or excitement. Twitch confirmed it will work with the community to find a new emote for “the most hype moments on Twitch.”
This ban comes just weeks after Twitch announced a new harassment policy, aimed at making the platform safer. Amongst other things, the Confederate flag was banned in the most recent wave.
The post Twitch bans “PogChamp” emote in response to Capitol Hill riots appeared first on NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News.
