LIRIK was banned from Twitch for just 42 minutes, and this is why

Olivia Richman Published 05/06/2020

Twitch partner Saqib “LIRIK” Zahid was recently banned for a total of 42 minutes.

The variety streamer was given his first ban yesterday night, following a LIRIK & Chill stream earlier that day. Many of his fans were shocked by this seemingly random ban, pondering if it was a mistake.

❌ Twitch Partner “LIRIK” (@lirik) has been banned! ❌https://t.co/mKMwX3dlX0 #twitch #ban #firstban #partner #twitchpartner ????
— StreamerBans (@StreamerBans) June 5, 2020

According to viewers, LIRIK accidentally showed a video clip that featured a blurred dildo. The related VOD was removed immediately.

After speaking with Twitch, LIRIK tweeted to his fans that the ban was lifted. Apparently, Twitch agreed with fans that the ban was a mistake. Still, LIRIK apologized for the video that led to the ban, stating that it “must have slipped” through his moderators.

He then thanked Twitch for working so quickly on his behalf.

During the latest Lirik & Chill there was a video shown that should have not been shown on stream. It must have slipped through mod approve/deny. I apologize!

Everything is resolved now. Thank you @twitch for working so fast ! https://t.co/3PWAEJfDHC
— Lirik (@LIRIK) June 5, 2020

Twitch unpopular with streaming community amid bans, suspensions

During the same stream with the video slip-up, LIRIK had told his 20,000 subscribers that the reason behind him never using a webcam was because he is brown. According to LIRIK, he didn’t want to be perceived a certain way online due to his appearance.

“Being without a cam kinda did help out because people don’t then just have preconceived notions or whatever,” LIRIK said.

He explained that many people will just judge someone immediately, since a lot of people don’t have filters online. While he’s showed his face a few times here and there, LIRIK has remained one of the only popular streamers on Twitch to not use a webcam.

People on Reddit joked that Twitch banned him because he revealed he was brown, noting that the ban happened after he made the comment. While most people weren’t saying this with sincerity, the talk soon turned to Imane “Pokimane” Anys, a very popular female streamer that was recently given a warning after she accidentally showed nudity on stream.

Pokimane shared the warning email she received from Twitch on Twitter, stating that the “warning was deserved.”

warning is deserved, sorry to anyone who didn’t wanna see that on stream.
i’ll be even more careful in the future, but i’m glad it made for a good meme lmao ???? pic.twitter.com/t2NxgxPEBM
— pokimane #BLM (@pokimanelol) May 23, 2020

In the short clip some of her followers captured, Pokimane starts screaming when she gets a porn pop up ad, which she quickly removes.

While some people did find the clip amusing, others pointed out that some other streamers, including Félix “xQc” Lengyel and Natalia “Alinity” Mogollon, were given bans for accidental nudity instead of just a warning email. While this was resolved quickly, LIRIK is just one of many streamers Twitch was quick to ban for the same offense. Meanwhile, Pokimane’s account wasn’t touched. And that seeming hypocrisy only serves to further confuse those looking for clarity in Twitch’s rulings.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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