Streaming platform Twitch has decided to remove the PogChamp emote.
The decision has been made following a tweet (below) from Ryan "Gootecks" Gutierrez, who the PogChamp emote is based on. Moreover, he is a big name within the fighting games scene.
In his tweet, Gutierrez questioned as to whether or not there would be a "civil unrest" following the death of a woman yesterday as the Capitol building in the US was stormed by Trump supporters.
Will there be civil unrest for the woman who was executed inside the Capitol today or will the #MAGAMartyr die in vain?
— gootecks (@gootecks) January 6, 2021
The video will be aired soon on (banned dot video) & (theresistance dot video) and it sounds pretty gruesome
Removed
"We've made the decision to remove the PogChamp emote following statements from the face of the emote encouraging further violence after what took place in the Capitol today," said Twitch on Twitter.
"We want the sentiment and use of Pog to live on – its meaning is much bigger than the person depicted or image itself– and it has a big place in Twitch culture. However, we can't in good conscience continue to enable use of the image.
"We will work with the community to design a new emote for the most hype moments on Twitch."
Last month, Twitch updated its hateful conduct and harassment policies, with changes set to come into effect this month. That same month, it removed the "blind playthrough" tag to be more inclusive.