Socialist Streamer Defends "We Support Hamas" Chants As Democrats Stay Silent On His Extremism

The numbers don't lie, and neither does the money trail.

Hasan Piker just went on record defending Hamas. Not hedging, not equivocating. Defending. The 2.9 million follower Twitch streamer earning an estimated $2 million annually told his audience that Hamas is "a thousand times better than the fascist settler colonial apartheid state." He said this while progressive lawmakers who appear on his show stayed conspicuously silent.

Let me be crystal clear about what happened here. On January 8, masked protesters chanted "We support Hamas here" outside a Queens synagogue hosting an Israeli real estate event. Schools closed early. Jewish families fled their own neighborhood. And when unwillingly and very vanilla Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez finally condemned the chants days later, Piker attacked them for it.

"Wait till you hear how you can openly support the IDF and Israel and still rub shoulders in polite society in spite of the livestreamed Holocaust we all witnessed," Piker wrote to his 1.6 million X followers. He called it playing "games" to object to open Hamas support at a synagogue.

This is the same influencer who has hosted Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ro Khanna, and Sen. Ed Markey on his streams. The same one who gets fawning profiles in The New Yorker and invitations to Pod Save America. The same one who called Orthodox Jews "inbred" and dismissed reports of October 7 sexual violence as "rape fantasies" and "hallucinations."

The same one who is making massive money off Amazon-owned Twitch while facing zero consequences.

WHERE THE MONEY FLOWS

Piker currently has approximately 48,783 active Twitch subscribers generating between $100,000 and $200,000 monthly before taxes. Add advertising revenue estimated at $10,000 per month minimum, YouTube revenue around $40,500 monthly from 13.5 million views, plus donations, sponsorships, and merchandise. Industry estimates place his annual income between $1.5 million and $2.4 million.

He bought a $2.7 million house in West Hollywood in 2021. He averages 30,000 concurrent viewers per stream. His November 2024 election night coverage drew 313,413 peak viewers and 7.5 million total. He is Twitch's 21st most subscribed channel and the platform's "de facto political commentator."

And he just publicly stated that a U.S.-designated terrorist organization responsible for murdering 1,163 people on October 7, 2023 is "a thousand times better" than Israel.

Where is the accountability? Where is the enforcement? Where are the Democrats who claim to oppose antisemitism?

THE CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY GAP

Here's what we know about institutional response: JPMorgan Chase, AT&T, Dunkin' Donuts, and Chevron pulled advertising from Twitch in November and December 2024 amid antisemitism concerns. Not specifically over Piker, but over platform-wide content including a TwitchCon panel that ranked streamers by "Arab-ness" with the lowest tier labeled "Loves Sabra."

Rep. Ritchie Torres sent letters to Twitch and Amazon executives demanding action on what he called "an explosion of Jew-hatred" on the platform. He specifically called out Piker for "demonizing Orthodox Jews as 'inbred'" and dehumanizing a Jewish man as a "bloodthirsty pig dog."

Twitch responded by updating its hate speech policy in November 2024 to prohibit using "Zionist" as a derogatory slur. The platform temporarily banned Piker for 24 hours in March 2025 after he said Republicans should "kill Rick Scott" over Medicare fraud. They banned him again for 24 hours in May 2025 for showing an alleged terrorist manifesto.

Twenty-four hour bans. For a streamer openly defending Hamas to millions of viewers while generating hundreds of thousands in monthly revenue for Amazon.

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S SILENCE PROBLEM

Of the progressive lawmakers who have appeared on Piker's show, only Rep. Ro Khanna responded to Jewish Insider's request for comment about Piker's latest Hamas statements. His response: "I have called Hamas a terrorist organization and strongly believe they have no place in the future of Gaza or a Palestinian state."

Khanna did not directly address Piker's comments defending Hamas. He did not explain why he continues legitimizing Piker's platform by appearing on it.

Sen. Bernie Sanders: No response.

Rep. Ilhan Omar: No response.

Sen. Ed Markey: No response.

Pod Save America hosts Jon Lovett, Jon Favreau, Dan Pfeiffer, and Tommy Vietor: No response.

These are people who regularly condemn right-wing antisemitism. They write op-eds about the danger of extremist rhetoric. They position themselves as defenders of marginalized communities. But when asked about a progressive influencer with millions of followers openly defending a terrorist organization that raped, murdered, and kidnapped civilians including babies, they go silent.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who appeared on Piker's show during his mayoral campaign and received Piker's public support, took until Friday January 10 to condemn the January 8 synagogue protests. It was the first time Mamdani used the phrase "terrorist organization" in reference to Hamas, though he still refused to name the group.

Ocasio-Cortez called the protesters' language "disgusting and antisemitic." Piker's response was to attack her for making "a fuss about THIS instead of the kahanist flags waving zionists or the illegal synagogue land sale."

This is the permission structure of the progressive left in 2026. You can defend Hamas to millions of people. You can dismiss sexual violence. You can call Jews "inbred." And as long as you frame it as anti-Zionism, as long as you talk about healthcare and student loans in between, Democratic lawmakers will platform you

THE INSTITUTIONAL PATTERN

Jeremiah Johnson, co-founder of the Center for New Liberalism, told Jewish Insider that "a lot of Democrats boosting" Piker "aren't even aware of how extreme he is, because he lies constantly."

"In interviews, podcast appearances or events he will play the 'I'm just a guy who wants people to have healthcare' card," Johnson explained. "If confronted he'll downplay, deny or walk back extremist comments he's made. And then he'll go back to his own audience and keep praising Hamas or the Houthis or the CCP."

This is not speculation. Piker has called Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah "a pretty brilliant person." He interviewed a Yemeni "pirate" who filmed himself aboard a ship hijacked by Houthi militants. He visited China in November 2025 and appeared on state-run China Global Television Network calling the trip a "dream come true" while discussing what the U.S. could "adopt and emulate" from the CCP.

In May 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained Piker at O'Hare International Airport after returning from France. According to Piker, agents repeatedly asked whether he supported Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. DHS called his account "lying for likes" and insisted it was routine inspection.

But here's the thing: if federal agents are questioning a political commentator about support for terrorist organizations, maybe the progressive lawmakers platforming that commentator should ask some questions too.

WHO BENEFITS FROM THIS ARRANGEMENT?

Piker benefits financially. Twitch benefits from one of its top earners. Amazon benefits from keeping a major traffic driver on its platform. The progressive movement benefits from having a popular youth-oriented voice who can package far-left politics as edgy entertainment.

The only people who don't benefit are the Jewish families who had to pull their kids out of school early because masked protesters were chanting support for Hamas outside their synagogue while one of the left's biggest influencers defended it.

"Hasan Piker is the Tucker Carlson of the progressive left, just dumber and better looking," commentator Jamie Kirchick told Jewish Insider. "As long as figures like Khanna, Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez and Markey pal around with him, they forfeit any credibility attacking the New Right's vile antisemitism."

The comparison is apt. Both Piker and Carlson built massive audiences by positioning themselves as truth-tellers willing to challenge establishment narratives. Both have expressed sympathy for America's enemies. Both have faced advertiser boycotts over extremist rhetoric. Both continue thriving because their respective political tribes refuse to impose consequences.

The difference? Carlson got fired from Fox News. Piker got a 24-hour suspension and kept making millions.

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN

Twitch must enforce its own community guidelines consistently. If calling Jews "inbred," dismissing sexual violence, and defending terrorist organizations doesn't violate hate speech policies, what does? If Piker's content warrants federal questioning about terrorist support, it warrants platform removal.

Amazon must decide whether profiting from terror apologia aligns with its stated values. The company pulled advertising over far less from other platforms.

Progressive lawmakers must stop legitimizing Piker's extremism with their appearances. Every senator, representative, and political host who platforms him while he defends Hamas becomes complicit in normalizing that defense.

Democratic Party leadership must establish clear boundaries. You cannot oppose antisemitism on Monday and appear on a Hamas defender's show on Tuesday. You cannot condemn right-wing extremism while giving left-wing extremism a youth-appeal pass.

Advertisers who returned to Twitch after the November 2024 boycott must reconsider. Your brands are funding a platform that pays millions to someone who just told the world Hamas is better than Israel.

And voters must demand answers. Why did your senator appear on Hasan Piker's show? What is their position on his Hamas comments? Will they continue platforming him?

This is not about stifling political speech. Piker can criticize Israeli government policy all he wants. This is about open support for a terrorist organization that murdered civilians, took hostages, and committed documented atrocities. This is about whether that support disqualifies someone from mainstream progressive acceptance.

The answer should be obvious. The fact that it's not tells you everything about where the progressive movement stands in 2026.

Hasan Piker made his position clear: Hamas is "a thousand times better" than Israel. Now it's time for every Democrat who has platformed him to make their position equally clear.

Are they with the terrorist apologist or against him? There is no middle ground on this one. He has no problem talking smack and calling Trump a pedo.

The money keeps flowing. The Democrats keep silent. And Jewish communities keep closing schools early because protesters are chanting support for Hamas in their neighborhoods.

How much longer will this be tolerated?

Share this article
The link has been copied!