Korean Streamer May5w Harassment Controversy

Overview

Korean Streamer May5w Harassment Controversy refers to an incident that took place in Hong Kong while Korean Twitch streamer May5w was livestreaming on Twitch in mid-September 2023. During the altercation, May5w was streaming herself walking near Central Station in Hong Kong when she was grabbed and harassed by a mustachioed man (reportedly of Indian origin) early on September 11th, 2023. Internet users subsequently claimed to have identified the offender before Hong Kong police put out a statement saying that they had apprehended the abuser on September 12th. The viral video and incident quickly became a trending topic online shortly after.

Background

On September 11th, 2023, Korean Twitch^[1] streamer May5w livestreamed herself walking near Central Station in Hong Kong when she was approached by a mustachioed man reportedly of Indian origin. The man repeatedly tried to get May5w to accompany him elsewhere, at several moments grabbing her against her will. May5w eventually enters the subway station and encounters more people, leading to her harasser swiftly exiting the situation.

A clip of the incident was shared to X on September 11th, 2023, by the X^[2] handle @commentcopped, whose upload was deleted after it gathered over 16 million views in a day. The clip was also shared by @DramaAlert,^[3] where it gathered over 14 million views and 56,000 likes in two days (seen below).

Twitch streamer was sexually assaulted live in Hong Kong by a stranger. pic.twitter.com/7YwWkrQjLy

— DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) September 11, 2023

Developments

Various internet users reacted to the event and made attempts to find the abuser, using visuals of his face as seen in May5w's stream. For example, X^[4] user @Slatizsm made a post on September 11th, 2023, sharing possible information about the man, saying that his name was purportedly Amit Jariyal and adding that he may work at an Indian restaurant called Rajasthan Rifles in Hong Kong (seen below).

the dude who sexually assaulted that streamer in Hong Kong is named Amit and he works at the Rajasthan Rifles Indian Restaurant pic.twitter.com/tedZcyZmaJ

— pagliacci the hater 🎃 (@Slatzism) September 11, 2023

Rajasthan Rifles, the restaurant in question, issued a statement about the connection drawn between Jariyal and the restaurant, saying that the man was no longer employed by them and hadn't been for a year. The restaurant also wrote that they condemned the offender's actions.^[5]

On September 12th, Hong Kong police then reportedly arrested a man suspected of being the individual who allegedly harassed May5w.^[9]

On September 13th, 2023, May5w went live on Twitch to say that she would report the incident to the police to help aid with the investigation. She had previously said that she was not going to report the incident due to her travel plans.^[8]

Online Reactions

On September 11th, 2023, X user and YouTuber SomeOrdinaryGamers made a post quoting @commentcopped's video upload that read, "This dude deserves a clean shot to the head," gathering over 90,000 likes in a day. The post was deleted by X,^[6] with Mutahar reposting the content strike warning saying, "I stand by it, fuck you," gathering over 89,000 likes in a day (seen below, left).

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X^[7] user @upblissed quoted @contentcopped's video saying that the man needs to "be put down like a sick dog," gathering over 60,000 likes in two days.

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References