Scandal at TwitchCon: Streamer-Cosplayer Emiru Attacked During the Event

We immediately barred this person from returning to TwitchCon, and they are banned from participating in Twitch events indefinitely, both online and in person. We are coordinating with [Emiru]’s team and, in accordance with our standard protocols, continue to cooperate with law enforcement during their investigations. 

I am obviously shaken by what happened, and this isn’t the first time I’ve experienced something like this. More upsetting to me, though, was how Twitch handled the situation during and after the incident. As I said, I don’t understand how he was able to get to me at all. The guard you see reacting in the clip is my personal security (my regular guard was suspended after an incident at the previous TwitchCon); he was holding the attacker’s arm to hand him over to police. However, there were at least three or four TwitchCon security staff nearby who didn’t respond and effectively let the man leave, as you can see in the footage — they don’t even appear on camera.

Twitch’s statement says he was detained immediately, but that’s simply not true. He was allowed to leave the event, and I only learned that he was detained several hours after the assault. It felt like that only happened because my manager pushed for it, not because TwitchCon staff on site treated it as a serious issue.

This will definitely be my last TwitchCon, and it saddens me to say that. I believe other creators should seriously consider whether to attend future events. I didn’t feel cared for or protected, even with my own security and staff present. I can’t imagine how vulnerable people without those resources must feel.