France pushes for nationwide Kick ban after streamer died following “torture” broadcast

Kick is now at risk of being blocked in France after the death of French streamer Jean Pormanove triggered a national outcry and a sweeping judicial response.

Raphaël Graven, known online as Jean Pormanove, died at age 46 on August 18 while streaming on Kick. His death followed what French media described as “ten days of torture” on-air, involving fellow creators Owen ‘Naruto’ Cenazendotti and Safine Hamadi. Allegations in the ongoing investigation include physical abuse, forced ingestion of substances, and extended sleep deprivation.

Kick swiftly banned Naruto and Safine. The platform also cut ties with a French marketing agency after public backlash, as the agency had used Pormanove’s likeness in promotional posts shortly before his death.

France’s Minister for Digital Affairs and AI, Clara Chappaz, condemned the ordeal as “humiliation” and “mistreatment.” A judicial investigation was opened shortly after. No charges have been filed so far, and an autopsy found that Pormanove’s death was not directly caused by another individual’s intervention. The streamers maintain the events were consensual and staged.

Pormanove’s mom even insisted that Naruto and Safine are “great people” and “never mistreated him except once in the gym.”

Still, French authorities are pushing for a nationwide block of the platform.

Kick faces ban throughout France

The Nice prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into aggravated intentional violence, failure to assist a person in danger, and endangerment of life.

According to multiple French outlets, the Paris court will rule on December 19 on the government’s request to block access to Kick within France.

At an expedited hearing, prosecutors asked the court to shut down around fifteen channels tied to Pormanove’s now-defunct main account. These channels have been rebroadcasting his content. However, the prosecutor rejected the government’s broader demand to ban Kick for six months, calling it excessive.

Kick’s legal team said the platform has already removed all content connected to Pormanove. They also raised a constitutional challenge against Article 6-3 of the Law for Confidence in the Digital Economy (LCEN), which allows the government to order preventative platform restrictions. Former Digital Affairs Minister Clara Chappaz filed a separate lawsuit against Kick on September 22 using that same provision.

Kick argued that enforcing Article 6-3 in this case would violate freedom of expression and punish millions of users for the actions of a few banned channels.

Jean Pormanove

France cracks down on “torture” streams

The Paris court is set to deliver its ruling on December 19, 2025. If the government’s request is granted, Kick would be the first major global streaming platform to be blocked in France under the LCEN framework.

The case has already become one of the most politically charged streaming controversies in Europe this year, and its outcome could set a precedent for how far governments can go in policing online platforms after high-profile tragedies.

Meanwhile, France has launched a separate investigation after Lokal, Pormanove’s old streaming group, moved to Twitch under a new name, ‘OGK Decoy.’ The channel is hosted by Gwen Cenazandotti, the brother of Owen ‘Naruto’ Cenazandotti.

OGK Decoy is accused of bypassing Twitch’s moderation system and continuing to stage violence and humiliation, such as physically abusing one of the group’s new creators, Marie.