'This is definitely my last TwitchCon': High profile Streamer Emiru was assaulted at the event, even as streamers have been sounding the alarm about stalkers and harassment

Streamer Emily-Beth "Emiru" Schunk has released a statement criticizing ubiquitous streaming platform Twitch after she was assaulted at a TwitchCon meet and greet on October 17. This incident comes as high profile streamers, mostly women, have dealt with increasingly common incidents of in-person stalking and harassment by viewers.

Streamer shenAndygans shared a video of the incident to X (formerly Twitter). In it, a large man approaches Emiru, pulls her into a forceful hug, and tries to kiss her. A bodyguard Emiru personally hired for TwitchCon then rushes in to pull the man off and shove him away, with the video ending as the man walks back into the crowd.

Twitch released a statement earlier today calling the incident "completely unacceptable and deeply upsetting." The company said that it has banned the offending individual from the convention, Twitch itself, and future in-person events. Twitch said that it has also increased security at its meet and greets.

Emiru released her own statement several hours later, criticizing Twitch's treatment of her, and disputing part of its official statement. "I'm obviously shaken up by what happened and it's not the first time I've dealt with something like this," Emiru wrote. "But to tell you honestly, I am a lot more hurt and upset by how Twitch handled it during and after the fact."

Emiru disputes Twitch's assertion that the offending individual was dealt with "immediately," calling it a "blatant lie." As can be seen in the video, the man is able to walk away from the meet and greet with no intervention from event staff.

"He was allowed to walk away from my meet and greet and I didn't hear he was caught until hours after he attacked me," said Emiru. "And it felt like this only happened because of my manager pressing for it, not because TwitchCon staff present thought it was a big deal."

Emiru also stated that she was not checked on afterward by TwitchCon staff. Streaming news account @Awk20000 further shared a video clip from before the incident where Emiru says "I kept my meet and greet because I wanted to keep my show." It's explained that her contract with TwitchCon meant that she was unable to cancel the meet and greet, despite wanting to over security concerns, without also cancelling her other event at the convention.

In March, Emiru and fellow streamers Valkyrae and Cinna were stalked and harassed on camera during a livestreamed event, with the individual even making death threats against them. Last month, Dexerto reported on how prominent streamers like Valkyrae, Pokimane, and QTCinderella were publicly expressing reservations about attending TwitchCon due to anxiety over violent and obsessive viewers.

Twitch's failure to adequately prepare for this incident despite so much advance warning, coupled with Emiru's sharp criticism of the company after the assault, means that the platform will have to deliver more substantial changes to win back trust and goodwill from some of its biggest streamers.