TwitchCon Paris 2023 has resulted in some big news about the state of the platform but unfortunately, it also made the news for streamers facing violence live on-air.
The bi-annual TwitchCon events are meant to be a hub where streamers, fans, and Twitch staff can mingle and make the platform better. This was seen during the opening ceremony, with Twitch executives revealing new features like the Discover Feed and Twitch Stories. While people might feel like they’re in a bubble when they’re at these conventions, they face the same dangers that anyone else does once they head through an exit. That’s been painfully clear this year, with incidents of violence playing out on IRL streams.
As travelers were unpacking on the night before TwitchCon Paris 2023, one streamer was threatened with a weapon. The next night, a different streamer was actually attacked talking with his chat.
Twitch streamers Knut, breakJ attacked surrounding TwitchCon Paris 2023
Streamer and bodybuilder Knut “Knut” Spildrejorde experienced trouble the night before TwitchCon Paris. While walking and chatting with a group, a person wearing a dark outfit with something white in their hand can be seen falling behind the group before approaching them.
The person then has a brief discussion with Knut. They go back and forth, with Knut saying that he wasn’t filming the person. Knut later stated that the object that the person had was a knife wrapped in a cloth.
Knut was seemingly unshaken by the incident and posted photos on social media from other festivities surrounding TwitchCon Paris.
Streamer allegedly punched while broadcasting in Paris
While this situation ultimately ended without anyone getting hurt, another streamer nicknamed breakJ experienced an incident of violence. During an IRL stream on the streets of Paris, breakJ was accosted by a group of men who asked if he was filming them. According to the streamer, this was followed by violence that resulted in his broadcast dropping:
breakJ discussed what happened in an Instagram Story shortly thereafter.
“This is what happened. I was crossing the street, hear some people yell at me…they came towards me very aggressively and yelling. They punched me several times on the shoulder and then tried to take my streaming gear. I held on to everything, screamed telling them to stop and managed to take shelter at a [McDonald’s],” breakJ said.
He added that he is safe and reached out to the police, but noted won’t be streaming in that area after the incident. TwitchCon Paris 2023 is only set to last for one more night. While nobody has been hurt at the event, there ought to be a degree of wariness regarding walking around a major city after dark.
