Hasan Piker, the Twitch streamer, far-left, anti-Israel political commentor, and supporter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), is scheduled to speak at Cornell University on September 24 and University of Texas at Austin on September 30.
At Cornell, he is speaking at an event hosted by the Students Not Bombs campaign, which is demanding that the university divest from Israel. The flyer states that Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Young Democratic Socialists of America are working on the event together, and they hope to, “end Cornell’s complicity in the genocide in Palestine.” It then lists demands for divesting from Israel, including severing all ties with the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
Piker – who stated in a 2019 livestream that “America deserved 9/11,” – has also been in hot water recently for comments about Israel and the Jewish community. On August 20, during a stream, he said, “People don’t f— with Israel any longer, and if Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone is going to come around and take action, not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.” He said this while displaying a post from AIPAC Tracker, which tracks who receives money from the U.S.-based, pro-Israel group, along with a photo of Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss, who is Jewish, and the Democratic nominee in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District.
Sofia Eliasi, a sophomore at Cornell, said, “Inviting someone like Hasan Piker to our community, who has a well-documented history of flagrant antisemitism, is not conducive to fruitful philosophical dialogue. His presence on our campus is simply an invitation for students to emulate his behavior by finding their own antisemitic stages to preach from.”
“Inviting someone like Hasan Piker to our community, who has a well-documented history of flagrant antisemitism, is not conducive to fruitful philosophical dialogue.” – Sofia Eliasi
Davian Gekman, a Cornell senior, said, “The invitation of Piker to campus shows the lack of morality held by certain people at Cornell. It is possible to debate ideas of Israel, the Western world, etcetera without inviting someone who celebrates Al-Qaeda and 9/11. It’s time for students at Cornell and across the country to rise above this hatred and speak out against it.”
The free event – which Piker plans to livestream – sold out within hours of the ticket release, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. He previously spoke at Yale and Dartmouth.
In a statement provided to the Jewish Journal, a Cornell University spokesperson said, “Cornell University has a strong commitment to free and open inquiry and expression that extends to its student-run organizations. Guest speakers invited by student groups undergo a review to ensure an event can be hosted safely. They are not subject to an approval process around content. The use of spaces by student groups does not represent an endorsement or approval of, or agreement with the theme of the event or the speech of its participants. As with any event, Cornell will respond appropriately to any reports of discrimination, incitement, or disruption.”
Over at UT Austin, University Democrats are hosting Piker for their event, which sold out within 20 minutes, according to The Daily Texan. There were 460 available seats and 2100 people on the waitlist, which means the event will need to be relocated. The Jewish Journal reached out to UT Austin for comment.
Sadie Ostrowicki, a senior at the university, said that by hosting Piker on campus, there will be consequences for students who are Jewish and Israeli.
“University Democrats are inviting an openly America-hating, Jew-hating, socialist Twitch streamer as a source of credibility says a lot about their shift away from their party and towards violence and hate. The students who will bear the brunt of this hatred, particularly Jewish and Israeli students, will never forget.”
Levi Fox, also a senior, said, “The same first amendment right that allows Hasan Piker to speak, gives us the right to respond with pride, facts, and numbers. We are tired of organizations and people making excuses for those who platform hate and we refuse to remain silent.”
