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China Allegedly Blocks PewDiePie, Top YouTuber Reveals Why This Might Have Happened

© Photo : pewdiepie/instagramPewDiePie
PewDiePie - Sputnik International
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China entered the media landscape recently not only in connection with the NBA, as “King” LeBron James was lauded in the Asian country after he denounced an NBA manager’s support of the Hong Kong protesters, but also an Internet king - Sweden’s PewDiePie.

The Swede’s 19 October video, titled "PewDiePie is Banned in China", claims that the YouTuber has been banned from China's Internet, though Pewds hasn't specified the exact platforms.

"Well boys, we did it. I'm banned from China", says PewDiePie in the opening to the clip, before proceeding:

“That's right (laughs), after I spoke about the Hong Kong protests, and showed their leader being mocked for looking like Winnie the Pooh, I got banned from China. That's right. Now if you search anything PewDiePie related on any Reddit related forum in China or a YouTube related video, it will just be completely blank".

Moving away from the technical issues, the Swede laughingly explained that he had always known this would eventually happen, adding he was sorry “if you are in China and try to watch my videos”. “That kinda sucks”, he summed up.

“The music artist Zedd got banned in China just because he liked a South Park tweet, so obviously me talking about the Hong Kong memes was going to get me banned", he dropped.

A variety of reactions ensued, with one wondering if he really “punched that.”

Many tried to calm him down, reminding the YouTuber of his “biggest audience", while one suggested that the Chinese will somehow manage to get around the ban:

“Chinese will use VPN to watch your videos anyway. Their actions are more honest than what they say“, the user noted.

The percent of Chinese nationals among PEwds' extensive audience is unlikely big, given the fact that YouTube, like all Google products, where the Swede has virtually shot to fame, is not accessible from China - the country well-known for its closed domestic internet network. 

In one of his new episodes of Meme Review, Pewds, who boasts over 101 million subscribers on theYouTube, mentioned the Hong Kong protests targeted against China, evaluating a China meme. The meme was about China’s President Xi Jinping that compared him to Disney character Winnie the Pooh. “It became a meme that the Chinese leader looks exactly like Winnie the Pooh", PewDiePie said, giving it a hearty laugh. "The resemblance is uncanny!”

NBA Debacle Over China

Last week, Chinese netizens hailed the effort of the NBA’s “King LeBron James”, known to have a legion of fans in the country as well as a contract with China-based Nike, who blasted a “misinformed” tweet by the Houston Rockets’ manager. In it, Daryl Morey referred to the ongoing events in Hong Kong, giving the protesters a thumbs-up.

Earlier this month, thousands took to the streets of Hong Kong, with the first mass protests sweeping across China’s special administrative region in early June in response to a highly unpopular bill that would have allowed people to be extradited to the mainland.

The bill was ditched, but the crowds of protesters persisted in their rallies, demanding amnesty for their violent actions during the demonstrations. They also protested against the introduction of another law that bans wearing face masks during rallies and other public gatherings, which was partially prompted by China's decision to roll out AI facial recognition surveillance.

Beijing deems the situation in Hong Kong to be a result of foreign interference in China's domestic policies and approved the measures undertaken by local authorities to disperse the rioting protesters.

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