Blizzard denied reports that it was issuing bans for Twitch users who expressed support for the Hong Kong protesters via chat.

Twitch viewers complained that they had received 24-hour bans from the "Play Hearthstone" Twitch channel after typing "Free Hong Kong."

In a statement to Polygon, Blizzard said it was "not banning people from Twitch chat for specifically using pro Hong Kong speech or any other political statements" but for spamming the chat with the same message.

The US games giant has faced widespread public criticism in recent weeks for its bans of several "Hearthstone" players who've expressed support for the protests in Hong Kong.

A Blizzard spokesman told BI that "we are not banning people from Twitch chat for specifically using pro Hong Kong speech or any other political statements. Bans are being levied by an automated moderating system that's triggered by viewers spamming any phrase repeatedly."

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Blizzard denied reports that it was issuing bans for Twitch viewers who expressed pro-Hong Kong views via chat.

The US games firm hit back at reports suggesting that it was censoring viewers who typed "Free Hong Kong" into the chat box for the "Play Hearthstone" Twitch channel.

Blizzard told Polygon: "We are not banning people from Twitch chat for specifically using pro Hong Kong speech or any other political statements. Bans are being levied by an automated moderating system that's triggered by viewers spamming any phrase repeatedly. We expect to have the issue corrected in the next few hours."

A Twitch user was banned from a chat after typing "FREE HONG KONG." Reddit/Please_no_copy

The esports publication Dot Esports first reported that anyone who typed the words "Free Hong Kong" in Twitch's chat area during the "Hearthstone" Masters Tour in Bucharest, Romania, over the weekend saw their message automatically erased and were handed a 24-hour ban.

But Blizzard said it was barring only people who were spamming the chat with the same message.

A Blizzard spokesman told Business Insider that "we are not banning people from Twitch chat for specifically using pro Hong Kong speech or any other political statements. Bans are being levied by an automated moderating system that's triggered by viewers spamming any phrase repeatedly."

The explanation seems to make sense. Per The Verge, the chat bans were inconsistent, given that some pro-Hong Kong comments appeared to have been left during reruns of Masters Tour games. And at least one Reddit user claimed that the US games giant also barred Twitch viewers who expressed pro-China views.

Blizzard has been at the center of a political firestorm in recent weeks after meting out a series of bans to "Hearthstone" players expressing support for the protests in Hong Kong.

Read more: Blizzard says its 'relationships in China had no influence on our decision' to punish an esports athlete who voiced his support for Hong Kong protesters

Earlier this month, the firm handed the professional player Chung "Blitzchung" Ng Wai a yearlong ban and confiscated his prize money after he yelled "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age!" in Chinese during a postgame interview. Amid public outrage, it reduced the ban to six months and gave back his money.

More recently, it handed six-month bans to three college-level players who held up a sign that read "Free Hong Kong, Boycott Blizz" during a tournament livestream.

Blizzard — whose parent company, Activision Blizzard, is partly owned by the Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent — has denied that China is the driving force behind its bans. In a statement discussing Blitzchung's ban, Blizzard's president, J. Allen Brack, insisted that "our relationships in China had no influence on our decision."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is among the US politicians to have questioned Blizzard's recent actions. ERIN SCOTT / Reuters

Brack added: "One of our goals at Blizzard is to make sure that every player, everywhere in the world, regardless of political views, religious beliefs, race, gender, or any other consideration always feels safe and welcome both competing in and playing our games."

But gamers, politicians, and even Blizzard's employees appear unconvinced.

As many as 30 Activision Blizzard employees reportedly walked out of work in protest on October 8. And on Friday, several US politicians, including Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, signed a letter urging Blizzard to rethink Blitzchung's ban.

The company has also become the source of widespread mockery on social media, with its "Overwatch" character Mei morphing into an unofficial anti-Blizzard mascot.