4 minPolitics
Slotkin and Rosen rebuke Hasan Piker over comments on Jewish Americans and Israel
Democratic senators condemned livestreamer Hasan Piker after he suggested Jewish Americans could face violence because of their support for Israel, calling the remarks victim-blaming and a new low.
Democratic Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Jacky Rosen of Nevada publicly condemned livestreamer Hasan Piker after he suggested that Jewish Americans could face violence because of their views on Israel. The rebukes came after Piker told his viewers that if Jewish Americans continue to express strong support for Israel, "eventually someone is going to come around and take action, not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews."
Slotkin, widely seen as a potential contender for the 2028 presidential election, released a statement on social media responding directly to Piker's comments. "This shouldn't be hard: no community should face the threat of violence for their political views. Period," she wrote. "That goes if you're pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, pro-choice, pro-life or any other cause you care about. And blaming the victims of violence for bringing it on themselves only further endangers people."
Slotkin framed the remarks as part of a broader normalization of political violence, noting that antisemitism has been spiking across the country. She pointed to an incident six months ago in Michigan, where a nearly deadly act of antisemitic mass violence occurred at Temple Israel. "In a time where political violence and anti-semitism has been spiking — and where just 6 months ago Michigan had a nearly deadly event of anti-semitic mass violence at Temple Israel — no one should causally be suggesting that anyone, Jews or otherwise, are to blame for being targeted," she concluded.
Rosen, who is Jewish, offered a similarly sharp rebuke, calling Piker's comments "a new low." In a post on X, she wrote: "Hasan Piker has been trafficking in antisemitic tropes for a while but even this is a new low. Blaming Jewish Americans for the violence and hate they're facing is not just wrong, it provides an excuse to those perpetuating these anti-Jewish hate crimes. Let me be absolutely clear: crimes against Jews for being Jews is antisemitism plain and simple. There's no excuse for it."
Piker, a prominent left-wing streamer with millions of followers, has a long history of controversial statements. He has previously said "America deserved 9/11" and praised a Zohran Mamdani administration official's desire to "impoverish the White middle-class." His recent comments about Jewish Americans have drawn criticism from politicians across the aisle, including fellow Democrats who argue he is victim-blaming the Jewish community for attacks they endure.
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who had previously shrugged off Piker's controversial remarks, appeared to distance himself from the streamer after the latest controversy. Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Piker but did not immediately receive a response.
The incident comes amid a reported rise in antisemitic incidents across the United States, with recent data showing antisemitic violence reaching its deadliest level since 1994. Slotkin's and Rosen's statements reflect growing concern among lawmakers about the rhetoric surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict and its impact on Jewish communities in America.
