The incident left multiple people injured and one protester, Heather Heyer, dead. In one example - a video Kjellberg publicly liked, leaving a comment underneath - E R uses aerial footage of the moment when a car drove through a crowd of people during the white supremacist-led “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville last year. This is particularly disturbing when linked to Kjellberg, who dealt with his own controversy after showing men holding up a sign reading “Death to All Jews” in 2017. They often use the guise of film, anime, or cartoon criticism to convey anti-Semitic and hateful thoughts or imagery.
“One of them was straight up a neo-nazi’s YouTube page where he makes video essays on children’s cartoons with added nazi propaganda.” It’s a patternĮ R’s videos are disturbing. “Yesterday PewDiePie ended #Subscribetopewdiepie in a video where he promoted some of his favorite channels,” Piker tweeted. Therefore, not being aware of these videos - or being aware and moving along with a moment of praise - is irresponsible. Piker noted that even if Kjellberg hadn’t seen most of E R’s videos, understanding the responsibility that comes with shouting out a channel is crucial to someone of Kjellberg’s stature. Hasan Piker, a host on The Young Turks’ YouTube channel, tweeted out his concerns over Kjellberg bringing newfound attention to E R’s channel. Kjellberg’s E R shoutout didn’t go unnoticed by those in the YouTube community. “He did one on Death Note, which I really, really enjoyed.” “You also have E R, who does great video essays,” Kjellberg says in the video. One of those creators is E R (otherwise known as “EsemicolonR”), an essayist who often includes anti-Semitic, sexist, homophobic, and cruel language in his videos.
In Kjellberg’s most recent edition of “Pew News,” a semi-satirical series where Kjellberg offers his own take on news events or YouTube cultural discussions, he dedicates the last portion of the video to shouting out smaller YouTube creators he enjoys watching. Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg has found himself embattled in a new controversy after recommending an anti-Semitic video channel.