Image Credit: Clara Sorrenti
Streamer Clara Sorrenti, also known as Keffals, was arrested on August 5 after a fraudulent email was sent to all councilors in London, Ontario, saying she intended her family and members of the London Parliament inflict damage. The raid resulted in her computers being confiscated by police and came amid a spate of transphobic harassment against the streamer, which she says was perpetrated by the police themselves.
Clara is an outspoken trans streamer who has garnered tens of thousands of followers on Twitch for aggressively debunking anti-trans talking points and for her ability to “proportionate” notable anti-trans activists on Twitter. A “ratio” on Twitter is when a reply to a tweet gets more likes than the tweet itself. Most famously, Clara is proportionate former children’s author and current transphobe JK Rowling.
Not only was Clara arrested, but she said police booked her under her dead name – which had not been her legal name for more than 10 years – and that when she was arrested, police referred to her by her dead name. In a YouTube video of the incident, Clara attributed it to the fraudulent emails sent to councilors that included her dead name in an “apparent attempt to get the police to humiliate me”.
On August 5, Clara says the police went to a “wellness check” on her mother, Catherine Sorrenti. Catherine says police asked about her son, which confused her.
“They said they came because they wanted to check on my well-being because they… oh god I don’t remember anything about ‘my son’ and I said ‘my so—my nephew?'” Catherine said. according to a transcript provided to Motherboard by Clara. “And I said, ‘You mean my nephew,’ and then they said ‘Clara Sorrenti,’ so I knew it was you. Then I said, ‘My daughter, oh my daughter.’”
Police said she had received an email saying Clara was threatening her mother and members of the London Parliament.
“I kept telling them, ‘No, no, she didn’t do it,'” Catherine said.
Clara’s brother, Brandon Roberts, said in the same transcript that he had previously contacted police to warn them that Clara’s address had been leaked. He says the police told them there was nothing they could do.
“I just mentioned that it could happen … they said ‘what are they saying in there,’ and they found the address and said ‘here’s your address, have fun guys,'” Roberts said. “And he’s like, ‘It’s not threatening or anything.’ He said: “If they wish you harm, that’s not a problem either, if they say they will, that’s when it starts to get into harassment territory.” So basically I can wish someone physical harm, but I can’t say that I will cause physical harm is the message he gave me.”
Clara said today that she was released without charge after being questioned by police.
Last month, Clara was also banned from Twitch for a month for “repeated hateful insults or symbols”. However, the insults in question were screenshots of the abuse Clara received for being transgender. She said on Twitter that their account has been reported in bulk.