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Was Hasan Piker arrested in China? Rumors erupt as streamer slammed over holding Chinese flag during Beijing livestream

Hasan Piker, also known as HasanAbi, was questioned by Chinese security officials during a recent livestream at a flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. The streamer was not detained or arrested, as he continued his Twitch broadcast afterwards.
posted by Ashim Arora
Wednesday 11/12/2025 at 2:25AM EST
  • LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 20: Hasan Piker speaks onstage during Politicon 2018 at Los Angeles Convention Center on October 20, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Politicon)
    LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 20: Hasan Piker speaks onstage during Politicon 2018 at Los Angeles Convention Center on October 20, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Politicon)

    Chinese security officers recently questioned left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker during an IRL stream at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. During the conversation with the police, HasanAbi went off-stream for a few minutes, but later resumed his Twitch broadcast. 

    The short clip from Piker’s stream was later posted by Drew Pavlou (@DrewPavlou) on X, claiming that he was harassed while livestreaming. The tweet criticized Hasan for defending the Chinese Communist Party in the past and triggered more criticism and memes. 

    Later, @PamphletsY, an anti-imperialist account, sarcastically claimed that Chinese police detained Piker. The tweet, which was seemingly intended to be a joke, sparked rumors of arrest in the replies. The unfounded claim about HasanAbi’s detention later spread on social media. 

    Unlike the rumors on X, Hasan Piker was not arrested or detained in China. He was with a group when someone seemingly showed a “Mao Zedong” meme with Piker’s face replacing the Chinese leader’s. Immediately after the image appeared on the livestream, security officials approached Hasan and others. 

    HasanAbi’s stream halted for a couple of minutes, while the group apparently explained everything off-camera. The broadcast resumed, and Piker attended the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square. However, he sparked outrage on social media for another statement during the same Twitch broadcast. 

    Internet users react after Hasan Piker was seen with a Chinese flag on stream

    HasanAbi attended the flag-raising ceremony at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square recently. During the IRL stream, he was seen holding the Chinese national flag and speaking to people in his group. @DrewPavlou shared the clip on X and criticized Piker for his remarks about lacking patriotism for the US.

    In the clip, the streamer asserted that he didn’t have any patriotism for any place, including America. Piker added that he cares about people. The streamer’s remarks were in reference to people gathering at Tiananmen Square to watch the flag-raising ceremony. @DrewPavlou used the clip to criticize Hasan Piker. He wrote:

    “Hasan Piker declared ‘I don’t have any kind of patriotism in my heart for America’ while holding a Chinese flag in Tiananmen Square. He made this statement right after attending the Chinese national flag raising ceremony in front of the Tiananmen Chairman Mao portrait.”

    The tweet garnered reaction from many X users, as they lambasted the streamer. 

    “Why doesn’t he stay in China, then?” a user tweeted. 

    “I don't know why he doesn't stay there,” another user wrote. 

    “He should stay there and never come back,” one user posted. 

    “He should move there,” another one added. 

    While Hasan Piker did not react to Drew Pavlou’s criticism, he clarified the situation regarding the Chinese security questioning him. Later during the stream, HasanAbi interacted with his chat and said:

    “The flag raising ceremony that we went to is not a thing that white people normally go to, right? […] I assume that they are probably extra attentive and extra careful about people coming to, you know, do some f**k s**t.”

    Piker added: 

    “As foreigners in China, at this, like, national event rather than an international one, where as you guys know this, like, they didn’t have any foreigners there at all, he thought he saw something on the phone […] He thought we were making a mockery, you know what I mean? They didn’t know we were swagged out white boys, who loved China.” 

    When asked by someone in the chat, Hasan asserted that he was being honest about the incident. He reiterated that the security officers were being extra attentive if someone was making fun of Mao or the ceremony.

    After someone called him lucky for not getting arrested, Piker called their remarks "ridiculous," adding that the police were extra cautious due to the rampant anti-Chinese propaganda. When another viewer asked whether the police appeared more “corrective,” Hasan replied affirmatively and added that they were abrasive.

    TOPICS: HasanAbi, Beijing, China, Tiananmen Square, Twitch, Twitter


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