MI-SEN: Top El-Sayed ally: It doesn't matter if rapes happened on Oct. 7.

[RandySF]

Tensions over Israel burst into the open in the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan this week after a candidate scheduled rallies with a provocative left-wing streamer who has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli government and its war in Gaza.

The candidate, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who is in a competitive three-way Democratic primary, faced forceful criticism from his opponents and others within his party after announcing that the streamer, Hasan Piker, would join him at rallies at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University on April 7.

Mr. Piker’s huge, young following has made him an appealing ally for progressive Democrats. He taped an interview with Zohran Mamdani last year during the New York mayoral race and later attended Mr. Mamdani’s election night party. In 2024, he filmed a stream from the Democratic National Convention. Some have called Mr. Piker the Joe Rogan of the left.

But his statements about Israel have alarmed some Democrats. He has said that the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was the “direct consequence” of actions by the Israeli and U.S. governments and that it “doesn’t matter” if rapes happened on Oct. 7, saying “that doesn’t change the dynamic for me.” Seeming to refer to Hamas-led violence, he also said: “The Palestinian resistance is not perfect.”



https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/us/politics/elsayed-piker-michigan-rally-backlash.html

[Danmel]

1. Me too, unless you're a Jew.

Disgusting.

[PeaceWave]

29. Unfortunately, possibly the most influential Jew in the U.S. endorsed this guy...

Between his endorsements of El-Sayed and Platner, I no longer know what Bernie stands for.

[hlthe2b]

2. Grotesque...

[mcar]

3. Disgusting

[Mz Pip]

4. Bzzzzzz

Wrong answer.

[PCIntern]

5. We are always the exception to the rule, with a global asterisk to the Armenians

Motherfucker should get pancreatic cancer, have a Whipple operation with infection complications, and die slowly with indescribable pain.

Yeah…my typical humanism isn’t perfect.

[Ninsianna]

22. Hindus aren't even mentioned, despite waves of genocides

And more going on today.

[Polybius]

6. You'd have to be crazy to vote for Abdul El-Sayed in the primary

Mike Rogers would crush him in the General Election. We don't want that!

[Ninsianna]

23. If you've seen the FB groups...

They most certainly are n in urgent need of psychiatric care. Ironically the only practicing physician (and gainfully employed) in family is a psychiatrist. (His wife, he has never been a licensed physician.)

[fujiyamasan]

7. El-Sayed has no chance

It’s one thing to call out Israeli genocide of Gaza, but if you excuse terrorist attacks like October 7, I’m walking away.

And Piker? Fuck that guy.

[RandySF]

8. Far left activists have started overlooking some candidates' more egregious shortcomings.

Last edited Sun Mar 29, 2026, 03:45 PM - Edit history (1)

[sarisataka]

12. That is putting it mildly

But notice how this thread drops...

[electric_blue68]

28. I tokk a 4 1/2 day news break. So I'm just seeing this now.

Hideous!

[EdmondDantes_]

9. Violence against women always matters

[rogue emissary]

10. "alarmed some Democrats.. . ."

It's infuriating. That statement should say alarmed all Democrats.

[Cha]

18. It's "alarming" and Infuiating More Dems

now that it's out on the internet.

[sarisataka]

11. But let's ask the important question

Has he taken money from AIPAC?


I can't say I'm very surprised by the statement "it doesn't matter" as is have seen similar dismissal and denialism on DU.

Much of the world still hates Jews and the horrors of WW2 have faded enough that people are once again willing to voice their hatred.

[betsuni]

16. Immediately thought exactly that: BUT WHATABOUT AIPAC???!!!!!

Hmm, which is worse? Contributions from a PAC that pays for ads and other things to help a candidate get elected, or violent fanatical religious fundamentalist terrorists?

[sarisataka]

19. To many people it is the former

and are very accepting of support for violent fanatical religious fundamentalist "freedom fighters"
Remember- "By any means neccessary"

[RetiredParatrooper]

13. Goodbye, Piker

What a tool.

[RandySF]

14. Kick

[Sympthsical]

15. Piker's a genuinely awful person

Let's see. Raging misogynist. Told trans people Democrats would shoot them in the head. Calls anyone who criticizes him a Zionist pedophile. Did sex tourism in Europe at a brothel that was later raided for human trafficking. Shocked his dog live on stream. Screams at immigrants. Yelled at Black people when they didn't agree with him. Told a Vietnamese woman to go back to her country. Flashes a hyper-consumerist capitalist lifestyle while cosplaying as a socialist. Openly supports Hamas, the Houthies, and Hezbollah. Speaks glowingly of autocratic regimes like the CCP.

He's the Nick Fuentes of the Left. Your basic tankie.

And the PR push for him is totally bizarre. He's a nepo baby who gets gushing article after article written about him. Someone's paying for it. His "huge following" is 30k viewers on Twitch, and they act like he's got Joe Rogan's audience. Speaking of, Piker's audience are totally unhinged. He had to mute his chat after the murder of the two Jewish young people, because they cannot be trusted not to celebrate it.

Listen to his streams for about 30 minutes, and it rapidly becomes clear he doesn't really know anything. He just yaps. And the weird streak of sociopathic narcissism is on full display (although, granted, the fact he has a narcissistic meltdown at all times is kind of funny).

Any politician that associates with him is instant disqualification for me.

If the Left can't do better than this guy, we're in trouble.

[leftstreet]

24. It's a vacuum that didn't need filling

This strange notion from the alleged "left" that "we need our own Joe Rogan!" has always seemed a bit psy-oppy to me. (You can even go back and insert Rush Limbaugh! or whatever)

You don't need to amplify core beliefs of much of the electorate. And by doing so, "we must be just as outrageous!!" you risk a questionable character actually undermining your position

Hmm

[Sympthsical]

25. It feels like our side's political culture doesn't support it

There just aren't any personalities that seem to have that kind reach, engagement, or charisma. There are certainly some people I enjoy well enough, but after a few minutes it's like, "I get it," and move on.

But this guy is pure poison to introduce into the Democratic mainstream. When you say you're "ten toes down" for the Houthis, you'd have to be insane to associate yourself with that.

Sometimes I wonder if he's some kind of psy-op. He's as close to a walking advertisement for the Republicans as it gets. Because he keeps getting these glowing articles written about him that soft-pedal - or just wholesale don't mention - some of the extremely radical views he holds and the wall-to-wall bigotry he frequently expresses.

And let's be honest. It feels like Piker's a year or two away from SA allegations. He's just that kind of person.

[Cha]

17. Stupid Rape Apologist!

💔 ☮️🌻🕯️🕊️💜

[struggle4progress]

33. +

[Sympthsical]

21. Piker now supports China taking Taiwan

Blames the West for not allowing it, even though the Taiwanese themselves have zero interest in being a part of China. Piker hints the U.S. might be too distracted by Iran at the moment to prevent it.

This was Putin's logic in the Ukraine, for those playing at home. Just a peaceful reunification of Russian territory that the evil West wasn't happy about.

Link to tweet

Yep. Let's let this guy into the party.

The man is a full-fledged pro-authoritarian tankie. This post wasn't years ago. It was today.

[ColoringFool]

26. "Progressive" Democratic Circular Firing Squad.

[electric_blue68]

27. Woah! What trash! Hadn't heard of him.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

30. MS NOW- Hasan Piker is a distraction for Democrats -- and a potential liability

The hugely popular gaming livestreamer and far-left political commentator has a voluminous history of making antisemitic, misogynistic and downright offensive statements.

Hasan Piker is a distraction for Democrats — and a potential liability
The hugely popular gaming livestreamer and far-left political commentator has a voluminous history of making antisemitic, misogynistic and downright offensive statements.

— Donna898 (@donna-f898.bsky.social) 2026-04-01T13:55:23.866Z

https://www.ms.now/opinion/hasan-piker-youtube-twitch-democrats

If you’ve never heard of Hasan Piker — the wildly popular gaming livestreamer, influencer and far-left political commentator with more than three million followers on Twitch, nearly two million on YouTube, more than two million on Instagram and over a million followers on X — you’re got plenty of company.

More than half of Democratic voters have no idea who he is. Yet over the past week, Piker has become the latest flashpoint in Democratic politics, with some moderate Democrats condemning him, while progressive Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed plans to hit the campaign trail with him next week.

Piker, a charismatic online personality, also had a dark side: a voluminous history of making antisemitic, misogynistic and downright offensive and inappropriate statements on his YouTube channel. Though his audience is massive, why any Democrat, progressive or moderate wants to be linked to him is baffling. For Democrats intent on winning back the House and Senate — and running against a historically unpopular incumbent president this November — Piker is a political distraction and potential liability.

Piker, who self-describes as a Marxist, infamously declared in 2019 that “America deserved 9/11.” He has repeatedly called Orthodox Jews “inbred,” compared Zionism to Nazism and said “Hamas is a thousand times better” than Israel.”.....

And it’s not as if Piker is a great friend to the Democratic Party. He has repeatedly criticized Democrats, particularly for their ideological moderation and ties to corporate interests. He didn’t endorse Kamala Harris in 2024 or Joe Biden in 2020, offering at best tepid support. (Though the Harris campaign did invite him to livestream from the 2024 Democratic National Convention as part of its “Creators for Kamala” initiative.) Piker is a leftist, not a Democrat......

But 55% of Democrats have never heard of Piker, and of those who have, only 13% view him favorably.....

Indeed, if the paragon of liberal politics — and the person who can attract young voters — is a guy who regularly makes antisemitic statements, blames America for 9/11 and can’t even endorse a Democratic presidential standard-bearer, perhaps the problem is not Piker’s critics, but rather those who feel they must defend him. Put aside the suspect morality of supporting someone with this kind of rhetorical track record — and the message sent to American Jews, who have long been one of the most dependable voting blocs for Democrats — how does anyone see Piker as a political asset for Democrats?

For all the voters Piker could potentially attract to the candidates he supports, there are almost certainly more who would be repelled by him. If liberal Democrats were smart, the less voters heard about Piker between now and November, the better.

I had not heard of this guy until recently. I started following the Michigan Democratic Senate primary race and have been seeing a great deal about this guy. I am not a fan

[caraher]

32. Thanks for this

On its own the Times piece feels unfair, as I *just* posted. But I definitely got bad vibes from what I saw, and your article provides helpful context - and confirms my hunch that there are probably worse, more intemperate statements out there from Piker. I'm leaving my post up anyway, however, capturing as it does my reaction to info available from the OP and references therein.

ETA: I changed my mind and self-deleted my other reply. My original reply misunderstood who Piker is.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

34. CNN spent 8 minutes on this person

Link to tweet