Overwatch fans call for boycott and recast after Pharah voice actor calls to 'free Palestine from Hamas'
Overwatch fans are calling for the recasting of Pharah—one of the game's lineup of DPS heroes—following comments on the current situation in Israel and Palestine made by her voice actor, Jen Cohn, in a TikTok and YouTube livestream.
In response to viewers commenting «free Palestine» in the chat of one of her Ask Bird Mom livestreams on February 12, Cohn said «Yes, free Palestine from Hamas.» Cohn, who is Jewish, then expressed her wish for Palestinian «autonomy» and «safety,» but angered some viewers by referring to Israel's campaign in Gaza as a «war» and saying that «when both sides are able to stop fighting, it will be wonderful.»
Some Overwatch fans were incensed at language that presented the last several months of violence as an equal conflict between two evenly matched sides, and saw it as an attempt to whitewash Israel's actions.
The comments sparked an intense negative backlash. Cohn has spoken about Israel and Palestine on social media before, which is likely what led to fans commenting «Free Palestine» on her stream in the first place. But although Cohn has done things like criticise the use of «from the river to the sea» chants among «well-intentioned, good young people» at pro-Palestine protests on Instagram, her comments on stream elicited a bigger reaction. Many viewers were angered by what they saw as the drawing of a false equivalence and the use of obfuscatory language.
Israel has drawn widespread condemnation for its campaign in Gaza, with 29,000 Palestinians—two-thirds women and children—reportedly killed and the International Court of Justice finding it «plausible» that Israel's actions could amount to genocide.
At another point in the stream, Cohn remarked «that is not a very 'values of Overwatch' thing to say» in response to a comment reading «Free Palestine [flag emoji] new Pharah voice actor > >,» which also caused anger. Cohn noted in a comment to PC Gamer that her remark was directed at «the call to have my role recast» and not the
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