A US Army Twitch streamer said the anti-Semitic phrase '6 million wasn't enough' during a game

• A streamer on the Army National Guard's Twitch channel said the anti-Semitic phrase "six million wasn't enough" while shouting out a user for following the channel.
• The phrase references the number of Jewish people who died in the Holocaust.
• A spokesperson for the Army National Guard told Motherboard that the clip had been deleted and that the Army National Guard "will no longer announce those types of screen names during live streams."
• Other military-affiliated Twitch channels, particularly of the US Army and Navy, have come under fire for incidents like blocking users who mention war crimes.

A streamer for the United States National Guard said an anti-Semitic phrase referencing the Holocaust during a Twitch stream on August 27, Motherboard reported.

Axel "ZexsOG" Torres, while reading out a Twitch user's username, said on stream, "Yo, six million wasn't enough. Thank you so much much for the follow, I appreciate you."

The phrase "six million wasn't enough" references the number of Jewish people killed in the Holocaust, and as Motherboard reported, is popular among white supremacists and Neo-Nazis.

It's common practice for Twitch streamers to call out the names of those who follow or donate on stream. Motherboard reported that Torres was spectating and interacting with fans while teammates played "Call on Duty." In the clip above, he shouts out another user, "Hyper Eagle," before repeating the anti-Semitic phrase. Per Motherboard, a Twitch user with the username "6millionwasnt_nough" clipped the moment and saved it on Twitch.

Regarding the account, a Twitch spokesperson told Insider that "we do not allow hateful usernames on Twitch and have permanently suspended this user's account."

In a statement provided to Motherboard, Lieutenant colonel Jamie Alan Davis of the Army National Guard said, "This was an unfortunate situation and goes against the Army values of fostering inclusiveness and diversity. We are working with our volunteers on the [Army National Guard] Twitch Page to educate them on screen names that may have racial or negative sentiment behind them.

"The COVID19 pandemic has forced recruiters to find creative ways to connect with their target audience, which isn't always perfect, and new approaches come with new challenges. We have since deleted the clip and we will no longer announce those types of screen names during live streams," Lt. Col. Davis told Motherboard.

Motherboard also reported that Torres had shared content on his previously public Facebook page that valorized Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, said that welfare was detrimental to Black families, and supported a bill that would prevent "rioters" from receiving welfare checks. Insider was unable to independently view the posts and Torres did not immediately respond for comment.

Various branches of the military including the Army, the Navy, and the National Guard have faced backlash and criticism for their presence on Twitch and use of esports as a recruitment tool. In July, the Army esports team "paused" streaming on Twitch in the wake of controversy. The channel was banning users who brought up war crimes, and some of its giveaways were called into question. An Army spokesperson told Insider at the time that the giveaways, which The Nation reported featured links that led to recruitment forms, were "very real."

Most recently, as Motherboard reported, Personnel Specialist Brandon Chandler was streaming "Among Us" on the US Navy's Twitch channel. The game included players, who were not affiliated with the Navy, with the usernames "Nagasaki" and "Japan 1945," referencing the United States' nuclear bombing of Japan. Another user in the game had the username "gamer word," a reference to the n-word.

Command Lara Bollinger of the U.S. Navy Public Affairs Office told Motherboard that "after the events surrounding the stream of Among Us on Saturday night, where three non-Navy affiliated users decided to use extremely inappropriate in-game usernames, we have paused streaming and are re-evaluating how we vet users who are allowed to play with us on stream in an effort to ensure that this does not happen again."

• • Read more:
  • The US Army will resume video game streaming on Twitch following the controversial bans of users who brought up war crimes
  • The US Army's esports team has 'paused' video game streaming on Twitch following controversy over its recruitment practices and policies
  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced a measure to stop the military from using video games as a recruitment tool
  • The US Army is blocking people on Twitch for asking about war crimes, potentially violating free speech laws