Advisor for Europe in Competitiveness and Digital Regulation Adrien Pascal, France's Office Manager of Secretary of State for AI and Digital Technology Pierre Bouillon, France's Secretary of State for AI and Digital Technology Clara Chappaz and Advisor for Digital Use Support and Online Child Protection Elisa Bazin attend a meeting with concerning authorities and administrations in Paris on August 26, 2025, following the death of Raphaël Graven during a live stream event. THIBAUD MORITZ / AFP
A French streamer whose colleague died during a live broadcast denied responsibility on Monday, September 1, in a case that has pitted the government against the Kick platform and spotlighted extreme online stunts. "I'm not the one who killed him. None of us killed him," Safine Hamadi told French broadcaster RTL.
Hamadi is one of the former presenters of the Kick channel that showed the death of 46-year-old Raphaël Graven, alias Jean Pormanove, in mid-August. An autopsy ordered by prosecutors in Nice has since ruled out "intervention by a third party" playing a role in his death.
Hamadi denied any abuse of Graven during the 12-day live stream, which featured the man enduring physical abuse and humiliation dished out by other participants. "I wasn't mistreating him, not at all," the 23 year old said, adding that "everything was consensual" and that the harassment, as well as Graven's protests, were part of an act. "We wanted it to be spectacular and [Graven's] reactions were just that – exaggerated – so people would clip the videos, talk to Raphaël about us, create more buzz," Hamadi added.
