After much scrutiny, controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker spoke to students at the University of Texas, Austin.Sporting a Longhorn orange tie and pin, Piker began the stream in his hotel room and continued it backstage at UT Austin before he finally took the stage.On Sunday, University Democrats said that they were forced to "return tickets to thousands of students," claiming that UT Austin refused to give them a larger space and an off-campus venue decided it would not host the event after "internal discussions." The student group declared they would not cancel the event despite outside pressure to do so.Piker was welcomed into the Wednesday evening event with loud cheers and applause.
The venue looked almost entirely filled.He opened his speech with "Hook 'Em Horns," garnering another wave of cheers.
The streamer went on to thank the students for attending the event despite the backlash it received.CONTROVERSIAL STREAMER HASAN PIKER'S LECTURE AXED BY UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON AMID FREE SPEECH QUESTIONSControversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker's event at UT Austin went smoothly, despite backlash from Texas lawmakers ahead of his arrival.(Florencia Tan Jun/Web Summit via Sportsfile via Getty Images)"There was supposed to be 3,000 people here today.
Three thousand! It's a real testament to how much progress can be made in even a state like Texas that the people in the national Democratic Party have left behind," Piker told the crowd."That's why I wanted to come here today, not just because of the pushback, not in spite of the pushback, but because I know for a fact that there are people who want their voices to be heard."At the top of his speech, Piker addressed allegations that he hates the U.S., saying "I always tell people that if I hated America, I'd be a Republican." He went on to accuse President Donald Trump of "destroying" the country.HASAN PIKER DOUBLES DOWN, DEFENDS HIS 'GOD-GIVEN RIGHT' TO SAY HOW MUCH HE HATES AMERICAIn his remarks, Piker focused ...