PewDiePie’s content is banned in China following pro-Hong Kong sentiments.
PewDiePie’s channel gets banned in China.
China banned the biggest name in YouTube gaming, Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg. First reported by Polygon and Deadline, PewDiePie’s channel and content disappeared following references to Hong Kong in a video. PewDiePie celebrated his channel’s 100 million subscriber milestone, making him the largest independent YouTuber in the world and the second-largest YouTube channel. Most of his viewers are in the United States, but fans exist all over the world, including China.
China and Hong Kong have been rising tensions in the gaming community since Blizzard banned Hearthstone champion Blitzchung. This action sparked protests from even the most loyal Blizzard fans. Memes of Mei supporting Hong Kong and renewed references to Winnie the Pooh saw an upsurge. PewDiePie, not often one for politics, posted a video that joined in on the Winnie the Pooh meme, comparing the leader of China’s appearance to the lovable, plump bear. PewDiePie also voiced his support for South Park and their criticism of China’s actions.
Following the comments, China blocked all content related to the streamer, including YouTube content and Reddit.
The ban didn’t surprise the YouTuber. PewDiePie is quoted in both Polygon and Deadline, stating that he knew to comment on Hong Kong would get him banned. A German DJ got banned in China after liking a South Park tweet, of course, saying on it directly would get him banned.
Chinese fans have confirmed that his content is inaccessible under “normal means,” according to Polygon, but reuploads are on other websites.
Published: Oct 21, 2019 05:50 pm