"Streamer" dies after being attacked and humiliated live

French authorities are investigating the death of a man during a live broadcast on the Kick platform, known for live streaming content, where the victim was regularly the target of violence and humiliation.

The Public Prosecutor's Office ordered an autopsy and opened an investigation into the death of the 46-year-old man, which occurred on Monday in the town of Contes, north of Nice.

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Clara Chappaz, Secretary of State for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies, said that Raphaël Graven — known online by the nickname Jean Pormanove — frequently participated in broadcasts on the Kick platform, where he was physically attacked or humiliated by other streamers , with everything being broadcast live to viewers around the world.

"The death of Jean Pormanove and the violence he suffered are absolutely horrific," Chappaz wrote on the social network X.

Kick França's official account has already responded, assuring that it is collaborating with authorities and reviewing the content available in the country.

"Our priority is to protect content creators and ensure a safer environment on Kick," the company said, adding that "all co-streamers who participated in this broadcast have been banned while the investigation is ongoing."

Kick is an Australian-registered streaming platform known for sharing revenue with its content creators.

Clara Chappaz indicated that a judicial investigation is underway, with the case having been forwarded to the French digital and audiovisual media regulator, Arcom, and also flagged on the Pharos portal, which receives reports of illegal content online.

"The responsibility of online platforms for disseminating illegal content is not optional: it is the law," the minister emphasized, adding that she had requested formal clarification from the company.

However, Yassine Sadouni, a lawyer for one of the two co-streamers involved in the abuse against Pormanove, told BFM TV that the victim suffered from cardiovascular problems and that the violence depicted in the videos was not real, but staged.

"All those scenes are staged, they follow a script," the lawyer assured.

French media released excerpts of the videos, several hours long, in which Pormanove appears to be attacked, insulted, strangled, covered in paint and oil, and shot with a paintball gun.

It is not clear from the videos released whether Pormanove voluntarily submitted to the attacks or was forced to participate, nor whether the acts were real or merely simulated.