Late Kick streamer Jean Pormanove's mother speaks out in defense of fellow streamers accused of 'torturing' him

The funeral of Frenchman Raphaël Graven, who lived-streamed on Kick under the name Jean Pormanove, was recently held in Contes near Nice, France. The 46-year-old Pormanove’s death has become a contentious issue in France and has prompted backlash against the Australian streaming giant Kick.

Pormanove passed away while live-streaming on August 18, and in the wake of his death, his co-streamers Naruto and Safine were targeted because of their alleged violent treatment of Pormanove in ‘humiliating’ streams, which involved the streamer being punched, slapped, shot at with paintball pellets and more.

Joelle, Pormanove’s mother, broke her silence regarding her son’s death at his funeral. Joelle was seen alongside Naruto, whose real name is Owen Cenazendotti, and Safine Hamdi, and as per Daily Mail, she shared that she believes that her son’s fellow streamers are innocent and should not be accused of any wrongdoing. According to Daily Mail, Joelle said,

“People are talking nonsense, and you shouldn’t listen to what they say, you really shouldn’t. These are great people here. We have to do our best to help them as much as possible. They are really great people because Jean was able to do so much with them.”

Jean Pormanove’s mother revealed that her son had a “good life” while streaming alongside Naruto and Safine

In the aftermath of Jean Pormanove’s death, prosecutors in France launched an investigation into the live streaming platform Kick to look into whether the platform deliberately allowed the broadcast of "videos of deliberate attacks on personal integrity,” as per the BBC. According to the news channel, Clara Chappaz, France's minister for digital affairs, also accused Kick of being negligent and said that the government would pursue legal recourse against the platform.

Ever since news of Pormanove’s death broke, users on social media have been sharing clips from his streams with Naruto and Safine, which show him allegedly undergoing ‘humiliating’ treatment and allegedly being physically assaulted, according to The Guardian.

Pormanove’s co-streamers were even banned by Kick as they undertake their own investigation, as per CNN. However, according to Pormanove’s mother, Naruto and Safine bear no responsibility for her son’s death. As per Daily Mail, while sharing her thoughts on Naruto and Safine, Joelle said,

“They have values. JP was able to do things with them he wasn't able to do back home. He had a life, he had a good life, they gave him a good life, he was single but he enjoyed his life. I'm proud of them and I want to thank them for it. I'm not afraid to say it. I want people to support them. That's my message.”

Addressing the matter of her son’s live streams before he died, Joelle, according to Daily Mail, added,

“They are generous people. They are great people. What happens in the live stream, is in the live stream what happens off the live stream is off the live stream. People don't understand. They never mistreated him except once in the gym. When they go home, they don't take their work home with them. They leave it there. So, when JP did the shows, he did them there and that was it.”

Daily Mail noted that Joelle also commented on the allegedly violent nature of her son’s live streams, and noted the fact that people enjoy war films despite the violence that they contain.