A sign commissioned by a far-right student group in Arizona bizarrely pictured popular YouTuber PewDiePie and his family.
The poster printed in Arizona in the US by College Republicans United (CRU) reads ‘Protect Americans’, but was amended with graffiti to read ‘Protect White Americans’.
The image appears to have been lifted from PewDiePie’s 19 August 2024 Instagram post celebrating his five-year anniversary with his wife Marzia Kjellberg. His son Björn Kjellberg, now aged three, is also pictured.
PewDiePie does not have any connection to the sign or the group.
Republicans United publishes its ‘values’ on its website, including ‘the removal of ALL individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States’, as well as ‘Preserve American Culture and the Family’, and ‘Put America First’.
The original picture shared to PewDiePie’s page (Instagram/pewdiepie)
They also refer to ‘sodomites’ on their website, and have previously hosted white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
Arizona Daily Independent reports the group originally hoped to print the poster with the message ‘Protect White Americans’, but Mesa Sign Shop owner Jim Torgeson refused to print it.
He said that the message promoted ‘hate speech’ and did not print the full message.
It is not known who graffitied the sign, though Republicans United co-founder Kevin Decuyper shared images on his X account of posters and flyers of the design which had ‘white’ added to them in pen or spray paint, which the group had posted on Facebook.
Republicans United shared images of signs with racist graffiti on (Facebook/Republicans United)
Ironically, given the sign’s message, PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, is not American at all, but Swedish, and his wife Marzia Kjellberg is Italian.
This was not lost on the internet, with one person writing on social media: “The couple in this sign is PewDiePie, vlogger of 2010’s YouTube fame, and his wife. PewDiePie, real name Felix Kjellberg, is Swedish and lives in Japan.”
Print shop owner Torgeson, who said that he is a Republican, robustly defended his refusal to print the sign with the original message, telling AZ Central: “You know what? Sue me. I’m not gonna be part of something that is meant to divide and incite people.”
The shop has published political campaign posters before, and while Torgeson said that it is very rare for him to refuse to print something, this was a step too far.
“This is hate speech,” he said. “It’s very thinly veiled, and I don’t want anything to do with it.”
The request was made by the group Republicans United LLC, with Kevin Decuyper, who is associated with the group, sharing negative comments about Torgeson online, including a negative review of Torgeson’s business.
Kevin Decuyper is associated with the group that commissioned the sign (kevindecuyper/X)
Torgeson has defended his decision, saying: “I’m not gonna say I’m surrounded by Black people every day. For God’s sake, I live in Gilbert, [but] I don’t judge people by race, creed, color, sex, nothing.”
He added: “There’s no winner when somebody’s trying to incite division. I don’t care what side of the aisle you’re on.”
LADbible has approached representatives of PewDiePie and Republicans United for comment.
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