Far-left, anti-Israel streamer Hasan Piker attends the press conference during day three of Web Summit Qatar 2026 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar, on Feb. 3, 2026. Photo: Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect

Leftist streamer Hasan Piker said recently that pro-Israel American Jews could face violence because of their support for the Jewish state, suggesting that antisemitism is self-inflicted and prompting renewed, bipartisan scrutiny of his rhetoric toward both Israel and Jews more broadly.

During a nearly seven-hour Twitch broadcast last week, Piker warned that Jews who publicly identify with Israel could provoke attacks against themselves and other Jews. He argued that Americans increasingly oppose Israel and suggested that someone could eventually “take action” against Jews in the United States rather than against the Israeli government.

Piker, the influential far-left streamer who has increasingly become involved in Democratic politics, made the comments in response to Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss, who is Jewish and the Democratic nominee for US Congress in the state’s 11th district, refusing to issue an endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Michigan.

Piker also accused Jews who closely identify with Israel of worsening antisemitism, describing Israel in highly inflammatory terms and portraying Jewish support for the country as a dangerous political liability.

“People don’t f**k with Israel any longer,” Piker said on Thursday. “If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action, not against the State of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.”

“I don’t know how people don’t recognize how dangerous this predicament is, how dangerous this is for Jews,” Piker added. “You’re running around basically tying your entire identity to a country that inevitably will be seen as Jewish ISIS and you’re saying, as Jews, this is all we care about. You’re making antisemitism worse.”

Hasan Piker tells American Jews to stop supporting Israel or someone will “come around and take action. Not against Israel, but American Jews.” pic.twitter.com/KMnvz0FofR

— DSA Watch (@DSA_Watch) August 23, 2026

The comments drew widespread outrage, with Michigan’s Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers condemning the streamer and calling on El-Sayed, who campaigned with Piker, to respond.

“Absolutely DISGUSTING. If Abdul El-Sayed had any courage at all, he would call this out and disavow Hasan Piker once and for all. We’re waiting, Abdul,” Rogers posted on social media,

El-Sayed issued a response to Piker’s commentary, in which he notably did not mention Piker by name or address any of the assertions made by the streamer.

“I believe all Americans deserve the right to advocate for what they believe without fear of violence,” El-Sayed wrote.

“My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters,” El-Sayed continued. “Antisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms. And I stand against any rhetoric that puts the community at risk.”

Piker’s continued prominence in progressive political circles has made the controversy particularly consequential. The streamer has campaigned alongside several Democratic candidates this year and recently emerged as a prominent surrogate for El-Sayed. He was also invited to speak at the College Democrats of America’s convention last month.

El-Sayed has carefully drawn a strategic distance between himself and Piker as he seeks to expand his coalition in the general election.

Rep. Hillary Scholten, a Michigan Democrat, also criticized Piker’s rhetoric targeting pro-Israel Jews and Moss, saying his commentary “has no place in Michigan and no place in our country.”

“It’s dangerous for everyone,” Scholten continued in a statement. “We should all be calling out this disgusting rhetoric so it loses its grip on our politics once and for all.”

Piker has a long record of inflammatory rhetoric concerning Israel, Jews, and terrorism. He has expressed support for Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis; cast doubt on documented evidence of sexual violence during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre; compared Zionism to Nazism; and referred to Orthodox Jews as “inbred,” a remark for which he later expressed regret. Piker has also praised anti-American regimes such as the governments of Iran, Russia, and China.

The latest comments come amid heightened concern over antisemitism in the United States. FBI data released this month showed that Jews were the targets of 1,528 of the 2,408 religiously motivated hate crimes reported in 2025, meaning anti-Jewish incidents accounted for nearly two-thirds of reported religious hate crimes.

The outrage also comes on the heels of anger over his recent comments made over the weekend. While on stage during his “Fear& LIVE” podcast tour, Piker was booed by the audience after he half-heartedly walked back his previous comments stating that the US deserved the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“America does not deserve 9/11,” Piker said, waving a hand dismissively, “That’s my new thing now.”

The audience of hundreds of people erupted in rapturous booing and jeering.

Hasan Piker fans boo Piker after he says “America does not deserve 9/11.” pic.twitter.com/63WIKmC7cx

— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) August 24, 2026

Piker has come under immense criticism over comments he made in 2019 in which he argued during a livestream that the US deserved the 9/11 attacks because of its supposed belligerence in the Middle East. Amid mounting backlash over his growing influence in Democratic primaries, Piker has started to walk back his comments in interviews.

For many American Jews, support for Israel is not merely a foreign-policy preference but an important component of Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish homeland. The suggestion that expressing that support makes Jews responsible for provoking antisemitic violence has consequently generated accusations that Piker is effectively asking Jewish Americans to abandon or conceal a central part of their identity in order to avoid harassment.

The controversy is likely to add further pressure on Democratic leaders and organizations that have embraced or provided platforms to Piker as his influence over younger progressive voters continues to grow.