A German YouTuber named Christian Betzmann has recently courted controversy for abusing street vendors in India and patronising his Indian audience about social etiquette in the West.
In one of his Instagram stories, he had claimed, “The audacity to drive through a street and scream to buy their freaking fruit.” In another Instagram story, he said, “How is this not banned? Every day 20 dudes scream in front of my Airbnb to sell their sh*t. I should buy all his pineapples and shove it up his a**. Bi*ch.”
His ‘privileged’ and insensitive rant on the social media platform drew the ire of his Indian audience. Christian Betzmann then went a step ahead and claimed that Indians would probably also justify rape as it had been happening for a long time.
The German Youtuber has been controversy’s favourite child for quite some time now. Prior to abusing underprivileged street vendors in India, he had pulled off a similar stunt in the neighbouring country of Pakistan.
Having realised the fandom a ‘white Christian man’ would generate by converting to Islam, Betzmann used the archaic mindset of Pakistani society to his advantage.
On February 6, 2021, he took to Instagram to inform his Pakistani audience that he had converted to the ‘religion of peace.’ He had claimed, “My best childhood friends were Muslims and deep inside we are all human beings in the same simulation we call life.”
Christian Betzmann further asserted, “Islam is the religion of peace and I felt a deeper connection and something I want to experience and explore deeper for myself.” As expected, his social media following surged with his ‘conversion story’ drawing over 1 lac likes in just 15 hours.
During his stay in Pakistan, he also managed to woo a Muslim Pakistani actress by the name of Zoya Nasir. When Betzmann converted to Islam, Nasir was elated and so were the average Pakistani Muslims.
“Welcome to peace…May Allah give you all that you desire and more,” she remarked about the German influencer’s decision to change his religion. Soon after, the couple got engaged and had a ‘dreamy proposal’ in the Bahamas.
However, things took a drastic turn in May 2021 after Israel came under attack from rockets fired from Gaza Strip. Given that the brute majority in Pakistan support pro-Palestinian forces including terror outfits such as Hamas, they expected the ‘white convert from Germany’ to follow suit.
Come on!!!!!!!what he said is totally right he highlights the dark side of our country one time but every time he highlights the good face of pakistan it’s really sad to see the reaction of Zoya Nasir towards him…. #ChristianBetzmann pic.twitter.com/L76U3j7N0q
— Iqra Mushtaq (@IqraMus80439474) May 22, 2021
After being bombarded by his Pakistani audience to post pro-Palestinian propaganda, Christian Betzmann lost his mind and rebuked the same people that he had pandered to for clout. The German blogger then attacked Pakistani society for its duplicity and for not standing up for their own basic rights.
“Social media will never win against government and politics. Sharing something which is all over mainstream media won’t make any difference. Stop feeling guilty for others when you’re littering your own country, not helping your own people and community,” he had stated.
With his statement, Betzmann stirred the hornet’s nest. He received flak on social media and even his Pakistani Muslim fiancée broke ties with him.
In an Instagram post, Zoya Nasir remarked, “It’s with a heavy heart I’m announcing that Christian Betzmann and I are no longer engaged to be married. His sudden change in stance towards my culture, my country, my people, and insensitivity towards my religion has led me to take this difficult and irrevocable decision.”
She further continued, “There are certain religious and social boundaries that can’t be crossed no matter what, hence, the decision to part ways. Humility, tolerance, and respect towards each other are the virtues that we must always adhere to.”
We should improve ourselves by acknowledging or mistakes rather criticizing a person who makes us aware of our errors. These are the hard realities which we have to face. Look at his stories on Insta.#ChristianBetzmann pic.twitter.com/QWdarhLIno
— Ahmed Ali Awan (@humanity43) May 23, 2021
Soon after, Christian Betzmann took to Instagram to try and undo the damage. He thanked the Pakistani society and hoped that they would accept his ‘culture of honest criticism’ for their own betterment.
“For my new video, I went to Orangi Town in Karachi, which is the biggest slum in the world. I was shooting in extreme pollution [and] heat to show you that even people in the slums are good people,” he cited examples to prove his dedication to the Islamic Republic.
When one of his fans tried to console him about his estranged relationship with actress Zoya Nasir, Christian Betzmann clarified, “I left her but that’s a different story.”
Nonetheless, the German influencer had been trying to woo his Indian fans by playing the ‘religion card’ as well. However, just like his track record in Pakistan, he displayed his ignorant behaviour and ended up upsetting the masses.
