Twitch political commentator Hasan Piker was at the center of controversy after a clip showed him arguing that America is “far worse” than Iran’s government while the death toll rises amidst nation wide protests.
The clip circulated widely as online discussion focused on Iran’s crackdown on anti-government protesters and widely varying estimates of casualties from the unrest.
Hasan made the comparison during what appears to be a broader foreign policy discussion on his stream. The exact context and full segment remain unclear from the circulated clip alone.
The timing proved particularly contentious. Reports about Iran’s response to protesters have circulated with drastically different casualty figures depending on the source.
CBS News reported that two sources suggested at least 12,000 and possibly up to 20,000 people were killed during Iran’s crackdown on demonstrations. However, that figure represents the high end of estimates and has been disputed.
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a monitor focused on Iran, reported substantially lower figures. Reuters also cited different totals based on Iranian officials and other sources.
The wide range stems from Iran’s government opacity, internet restrictions during protests, and difficulty verifying deaths independently. Different organizations use different methodologies to track casualties.
Iran has faced international criticism for its response to major protest waves in recent years. The most prominent was the 2022–2023 “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement following Mahsa Amini’s death in morality police custody.
Human rights groups have documented the use of lethal force against demonstrators, mass arrests, harsh sentences including executions, and internet shutdowns aimed at preventing coordination and video documentation.
The clip spread across social media platforms as users debated whether the comparison between U.S. and Iranian governance was fair given the different nature of civil liberties and state violence in each country.
