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A recent incident involving the suspension of a popular streamer who retaliated against a viewer’s misogynistic comments with a freestyle rap has prompted Amazon-owned live streaming platform Twitch to reconsider its initial decision.
The Freestyle Rap Incident
The incident in question occurred on June 12, when streamer ‘nandre’ was handed a week-long suspension for a freestyle rap he performed in response to a viewer who was issuing misogynistic remarks in his chat stream.
Twitch initially regarded nandre’s rap as an act of harassment and levied a ban against him accordingly.
Community Backlash Leads to Reversal
The move prompted a considerable backlash from the online community, which pushed Twitch to revisit their decision.
This reversal is unusual, considering the streaming platform’s notorious reputation for leaving its suspensions in place, regardless of outcry from users.
In a Twitter post, nandre shared the email from Twitch that had informed him of his suspension. “I got banned for a week for doing a freestyle rap about a chatter who came into my stream spewing misogynistic rhetoric,” nandre wrote, expressing his frustration about the impact of the suspension on his streaming momentum.
Twitch Admits Mistake
After submitting an appeal and drawing comparisons between his situation and a streamer who was suspended for a week after broadcasting explicit content, nandre finally received the response he had been hoping for from Twitch.
In a follow-up email, Twitch acknowledged their mistake in assessing the situation, stating, “Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused” and promptly reversed their initial decision.
The Deleted Rap Clip
Unfortunately, for those interested in viewing the original rap, it seems that it is no longer accessible.
In a conversation with Dexerto, nandre confirmed that the Video On Demand (VOD) of the incident has been deleted, leaving no remaining clips.
Despite the loss of the controversial clip, the good news is that nandre’s suspension has been lifted.
Implications on Twitch’s Moderation Policies
This incident comes at a time when the streaming wars are heating up between Twitch, Kick, YouTube, and other platforms.
Twitch has recently found itself under increasing scrutiny due to controversies regarding its moderation practices and enforcement of policies.
This latest reversal of a ban suggests the platform is becoming more receptive to feedback and could be a step towards refining their moderation strategies.
