Streaming platform Twitch vows "to protect our community" after livestreaming German shooting
Record ID:
1435956
Streaming platform Twitch vows "to protect our community" after livestreaming German shooting
- Title: Streaming platform Twitch vows "to protect our community" after livestreaming German shooting
- Date: 9th October 2019
- Summary: HALLE, GERMANY (OCTOBER 9, 2019) (REUTERS) AMBULANCE TO POLICE IN RIOT GEAR POLICE POLICE CAR TO ARMED POLICE
- Embargoed: 23rd October 2019 22:57
- Keywords: Twitter Twitch shooting Germany livestream synagogue Halle
- Location: HALLE, GERMANY; INTERNET;
- City: HALLE, GERMANY; INTERNET;
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Crime
- Reuters ID: LVA002B0DOPJB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A gunman who denounced Jews opened fire outside a German synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, and killed two people as he livestreamed his attack.
Several German media outlets said the perpetrator acted alone on Wednesday (October 9) in the eastern German city of Halle. He fatally shot a woman outside the synagogue and a man inside a nearby kebab shop.
Two other people were seriously injured, but regional broadcaster MDR said their condition was not critical.
Video broadcast on Amazon's gaming subsidiary Twitch showed a young man with a shaven head first reciting a short statement in broken English while sitting in a parked car.
"I think the Holocaust never happened," he began, before adding "feminism is the cause of decline in birth rates in the West" and mentioning mass immigration. He concluded: "The root of all these problems is the Jew", before embarking on his shooting spree.
A spokeswoman for Amazon said Twitch "worked with urgency to remove this content and will permanently suspend any accounts found to be posting or reposting content of this abhorrent act."
In the video, the man drove to the synagogue, found the gates shut and unsuccessfully sought to force the gates open. He then shot several rounds at a woman passerby.
Twitch has issued a statement on its Twitter account reading "We are shocked and saddened by the tragedy that took place in Germany today, and our deepest condolences go out to all those affected. Twitch has a zero-tolerance policy against hateful conduct, and any act of violence is taken extremely seriously."
The handle added "We're continuing to investigate the Halle event and would like to share what we've uncovered. The account owner streamed this horrific act live on Twitch for 35 minutes, during which time it was viewed by approximately five people." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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