Twitch updates Hateful Conduct Policy to include 'Zionist' as potential slur

Twitch has updated its “Hateful Conduct Policy” to include “Zionist” as a potential slur, amid growing content critical of the occupation state and the genocide it is committing in Gaza, as well as its aggression against Lebanon, on the platform.

The Amazon-owned streaming service announced the change in a blog post on Friday, stating that “using the term ‘Zionist’ to attack or demean another individual or group of people on the basis of their background or religious belief is against our rules.” The platform emphasised its prohibition of terms that, while not inherently harmful, can be used to denigrate others in specific contexts.

Twitch clarified that referring to “Zionist” or “Zionism” as part of political discourse does not violate its policy, as long as it doesn’t target individuals. “Our goal isn’t to stifle conversation about or criticism of an institution or ideology, but to prevent coded hate directed at individuals and groups of people,” the company said.

By flagging “Zionist” as a slur, Twitch conflates Zionism with Jewish identity, erasing dissent and diversity among Jews.

This stifles criticism of a political ideology during a time in which an ethnic cleansing is being carried out in Zionism’s name. https://t.co/pZodvZQ37M

— Jake Steinberg (@JakeNoseIt) November 15, 2024

The policy change follows criticism from figures like US congressman Ritchie Torres and the Anti-Defamation League, who argued that Twitch allowed hate toward Jewish people to persist. Torres, who recently won re-election with significant donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), had accused the platform of failing to curb “antisemitic” content, specifically targeting popular Turkish-American streamer Hasan Piker for his pro-Palestine stance and speaking out against the occupation state.

Twitch’s policy change is part of a broader trend among social media platforms tightening their content rules around speech when it comes to criticising Israel and condemning the atrocities the US-backed occupation forces are carrying out. Last year, Human Rights Watch reported that Meta systematically censored pro-Palestinian voices on Facebook and Instagram.

WATCH: Jewish anti-Zionism and Israel: MEMO in Conversation with Zachary Foster