Hasan Piker has stirred up more controversy by standing by his comparison between Anne Frank and Yemen’s Houthi rebels during a recent debate-style live stream with Ethan Klein. The political commentator stuck to his viewpoint that resistance movements, regardless of tactics, are often called “terrorists” depending on who’s talking.
During the stream, Piker argued that if Anne Frank had hypothetically taken up arms against Nazi oppressors, she might have been branded a terrorist by the regime. He used this what-if scenario to draw parallels to how modern resistance groups like the Houthis are categorized in Western conversations.
“The point I was making is about how we label certain acts of resistance as terrorism based on who’s doing the labeling,” Piker explained during his broadcast, reportedly debating fellow streamer Ethan Klein. He added weight to his argument by mentioning Nobel Peace Prize winners such as Nelson Mandela, who were once called terrorists before being recognized as peacemakers.
Hasan Piker doubles down on Anne Frank and Houthi rebels comparison during heated livestream https://t.co/HPrgb2L6EC pic.twitter.com/Ki6ulMpC2v
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Critics in the debate pushed back on Piker’s reasoning, pointing out that Anne Frank’s lasting impact comes partly from her pacifism and hopeful outlook even through horrific circumstances. They also reminded people that Houthi forces have attacked civilian targets with no connection to Israel, including taking hostages from various nationalities.
The Houthi movement, from Yemen’s Zaidi Shia minority, currently holds major parts of Yemen and has carried out maritime attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Several countries, including the United States, have given the Houthis the terrorist label.
Piker’s comparison gets at larger questions about how history judges resistance movements and the often blurry line between being called a freedom fighter or a terrorist. Across time, plenty of resistance leaders have gone from being tagged as terrorists to becoming respected political voices—depending on who’s in charge and how times change.
