Carl Benjamin

Carl Benjamin (born September 1979), also known by his online pseudonym Sargon of Akkad, is a British far-right YouTuber and political commentator.

Benjamin's YouTube channel drew attention during the Gamergate harassment campaign in 2014.

Inside Higher Ed said his videos on the topic advanced a conspiracy theory in which he argued members of the Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) were actively plotting to influence video game development, saying DiGRA "became co-opted by feminists to become a think tank by which gender ideologues can disseminate their ideology to the gaming press and ultimately to gamers".

He also posted content that was critical of feminist video game critics and academics and posted content that was critical of feminism in general.

That year, Benjamin said that he had named his channel Sargon of Akkad because he was "a lover of history and the lessons it can teach us".

In 2016, in response to politician Jess Phillips' complaint that she frequently received rape threats from men online, Benjamin tweeted to her: "I wouldn't even rape you."

Criticism of this comment—and of a later remark in which Benjamin said he might rape Phillips but for the fact that "nobody's got that much beer"—dominated press coverage of his European Parliament candidacy.

In response to Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament Jess Phillips' statement that rape threats are commonplace for her, Benjamin said in May 2016, "I wouldn't even rape you #AntiRapeThreats #FeminismIsCancer" in a YouTube video and repeated this on Twitter.

He has declined to apologise for the comment.

He was investigated by West Midlands Police for the comment and a police spokesperson said he was "dealt with by way of words of advice".

At VidCon 2017, media critic Anita Sarkeesian appeared on a panel discussing online harassment directed towards women.

A group of YouTubers who had frequently criticised Sarkeesian in the past, including Benjamin, filled one half of the first three rows of the audience and filmed Sarkeesian as part of a targeted harassment campaign against her.

Sarkeesian singled out Benjamin as a serial harasser of hers, calling him a "garbage human".

The event went viral among both critics and supporters of Sarkeesian.

Benjamin accused Sarkeesian of abuse and cyberbullying and said that he would have wanted to know how she "would like to be approached"; in a blog post, Sarkeesian wrote:

"[Benjamin] makes over $5,000 a month on Patreon for creating YouTube videos that mock, insult and discredit myself and other women online, and he's not alone. He is one of several YouTubers who profit from the cottage industry of online harassment and antifeminism."

VidCon founder Hank Green issued a statement that the group's actions were clear "intimidating behaviour" and apologised for the situation "which resulted in [Sarkeesian] being subjected to a hostile environment that she had not signed up for".

Patreon also investigated the claims of harassment, but determined that although they considered his actions "distasteful", Benjamin had not violated their code of conduct.

In January 2018, Benjamin debated neo-Nazi Richard B. Spencer on the issue of scientific racism.

In March 2018, North London Antifa protesters broke into a scheduled discussion between Benjamin and Yaron Brook by King's College London's Libertarian Society at the school.

Masked protestors attacked security guards, set off smoke bombs, broke windows and set off a fire alarm.

The event organisers called the police, cancelled the event and evacuated the building.

The organiser reported that two security guards were hospitalised.

Patreon banned Benjamin in December 2018, when he was earning over US$12,000 a month.

According to Patreon, Benjamin violated the site's rules on hate speech by using "racial and homophobic slurs to degrade another individual".

A number of users, including Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson, and Dave Rubin, left the platform following the ban of Benjamin, with Benjamin and Rubin moving onto Peterson's service Thinkspot.

Harris stated that he did not "share the politics of the banned members," but objected to what he described as "political bias" on Patreon.

As part of their explanation for why they dropped Benjamin, Patreon published a transcript of a YouTube video in which Benjamin stated that members of the alt-right were "acting like white niggers" because "Exactly how you describe black people acting is the impression I get dealing with the Alt-Right."

He added that: "White people are meant to be polite and respectful to one another."

Later in the video, Benjamin stated: "don't expect me to have a debate with one of your faggots."

In response, Benjamin said that his targets were not black or homosexual, and claimed that the epithet "nigger" is not offensive in Britain as it is in the United States.

Benjamin also claimed that the comments had been taken out of context.

In June 2018, Benjamin joined the UK Independence Party (UKIP), along with YouTuber Mark Meechan, better known by his online name Count Dankula, and far-right conspiracy theorist Paul Joseph Watson.

The trio's membership has been described by political analysts as part of a shift to the far-right in UKIP under Gerard Batten's leadership.

A former member of the Eurosceptic UK Independence Party (UKIP), he was one of its unsuccessful candidates for the South West England constituency in the 2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom.

During the Gamergate harassment campaign, Benjamin promoted the conspiracy theory that feminists were infiltrating video game research groups to influence game development.

Since Gamergate, he has focused on promoting Brexit and criticising feminism, Islam, identity politics, and what he views as political correctness in the media and other institutions.

Benjamin has been described as politically right-wing and far-right by multiple outlets.

He denies this description of his politics, instead calling himself a classical liberal and a sceptic.

In May 2019, YouTube suspended Benjamin's Sargon of Akkad channel from the YouTube Partner Program.