Hasan Piker, the prominent streamer and YouTube commentator known for his progressive politics, described Osama bin Laden as a “spoiled brat” over the rationale he gave for planning the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Piker characterized the attacks as “blowback” tied to years of US policy in the Middle East.
In an interview with Axios, Piker addressed bin Laden’s stated motives for attacking the United States, including Washington’s backing of Israel, its oil policy and the presence of US military bases across the Middle East.
Piker also pointed to bin Laden’s past relationship with the United States, noting that America trained, financed and armed Afghan mujahideen fighters during the Soviet-Afghan War.
“The action was so heinous and so violent that — and also … given his position as formerly an American ally — I think that he came across a little bit more as a spoiled brat that wasn’t getting his way. With many backers in the Saudi kingdom as well and the royal family,” Piker said.
The left-wing online personality said he would prefer a world in which figures such as bin Laden do not “exist in general.”
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“The other path of least resistance is to not interfere in these affairs in general and not continue to dominate and create an environment where people are going to seek out revenge and put us in a position of danger,” he said.
Piker called the Sept. 11 attacks a “horrifying tragedy,” while maintaining that they represented blowback from US conduct in the Middle East.
“Blowback is not a justification. Blowback is just what it is,” he said. “A justification offers either a moral condemnation or a moral acceptance of the act. I do not accept the act of 9/11 morally”.
The streamer has drawn criticism over another statement from the Axios interview, in which he compared the United States with al Qaeda “pound for pound.”
“Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes,” Piker said. “We have caused tremendous terror all around the world.”