This 2024 is being an important year for competitive Pokémon, especially in Spain. The entry of Movistar KOI and Esportmaniacos to support this esport has caused the community to turn to the players, and the metrics for the qualifiers and important events to increase exponentially, making special mention of the Knekro channel.
One of these protagonists is Álex Soto ‘Len’, who had been one of the great sensations in these last tournaments. After leaving with an 8-1 in the last tournament, the organization decided to disqualify him for not passing the relevant controls, something that neither he nor the community fully understood. Ironically, and as a meme, he said that if his Pokémon were banned again he would bomb the TPCI offices, something that has not sat well with the organization, permanently banning him from any type of tournament.
To commit a hate crime, the threat must be possible, credible and serious.
Quickly, the tweet gained a lot of virality, and in a matter of hours, the post reached one million impressions. From colleagues like PokeAlex, to influencers like Papi Gavi, they showed their support for Len. One of the most active was ChusoMMontero, who was blunt with the company and would plan a boycott until this situation is resolved: “We will do everything possible as a community so that this absurd situation changes, and if not, it’s time to protest with the actions and with us that they no longer count.”
From another perspective, this time focused on the legal issue, Saritarookie, a former talk show host on Discutando Tranquilamente and current LPL commentator on ChinaGap, showed the definition of a crime due to threats in our country, and what requirements have to be met for it to be condemned as such. What seems clear is that Len does not fall within these parameters: “In Spain the crime of threats exists, obviously, but very specific requirements must be met: that the threat be possiblebe credible and either I would be”.
