Hasan Piker on Thursday struck back at critics who condemned him for saying the United States is worse than the al Qaeda terrorist network, claiming that Republicans and “the elites” are terrorizing people with “Gestapo” force. 

Piker is a Twitch streamer who gained prominence this year as a surrogate for Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul el Sayed and other socialist-leaning candidates across the country. More moderate and establishment Democrats have distanced themselves from him due to his history of provocative statements, with his latest claim on The Axios Show that the U.S. is “worse” than al-Qaeda on Thursday stoking further controversy.