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YouTuber and social media influencer Hirzi Zulkiflie has issued an apology to influencer and published writer Nicole Choo.

The apology was for putting up two videos of himself with radio DJ Dee Kosh that made fun of a poetry book Choo published in 2018, titled "Nineteen".

The apology comes in the wake of Dee Kosh being accused of sexual harassment by several different people, and was published on Facebook and Instagram.

Hirzi's apology was published after a Facebook post was put up by Eliza Teoh from Bubbly Books, the publisher of Choo's book.

Teoh slammed Dee Kosh and the 2018 video, and the ensuing fallout it caused.

What Hirzi's apology said

Hirzi's apology acknowledged the allegations surrounding Dee Kosh. He wrote: "Some of you might be confused because of the timestamp that is fresh from another influencer drama."

Hirzi then directly acknowledged Teoh's post and explained the nature of the videos in question.

He said the initial video in which he reviewed Choo's work with Dee Kosh made "hurtful remarks".

The follow-up video was a mock apology after the first video was removed by Teoh for copyright infringement.

Hirzi added that the initial video has since been re-uploaded to YouTube and has not yet been removed. As such, he took full responsibility for what he had said, which was entirely of his own accord.

Lapses in judgement in making the videos

In proceeding to lay out the lapses in his own judgement, Hirzi stated that:

• He had "immediately cringed" at some of the offensive material in his initial video on the first viewing, but eventually glossed over it when the video was well-received,
• Had missed the opportunity to sincerely apologise to Choo by putting up the mock apology instead, and
• Had been "blinded by his own ego" in failing to see how his actions enabled his followers, and that of Dee Kosh's, to cyber-bully Choo.

Turning to address Teoh's post in detail, Hirzi stated that he felt "terrible and responsible" for how his actions and that he had learnt a lesson on how social media could enable a mob.

Reiterating that he took full responsibility for what he had put Choo through, he also called for his followers to be accountable for their own actions and to apologise to her.

With regard to the two videos, Hirzi wrote: "On top of that I have already reached out to Dee Kosh to remove the second mock apology video and I’ll be getting Youtube to remove the other re-upload of the first video by the anonymous user."

Choo's publisher: Dee Kosh scandal brought back bad memories of the videos

Choo's publisher, Teoh, wrote in her post about the recent scandal surrounding Dee Kosh and how it had brought back bad memories of the videos.

Referring to Dee Kosh throughout the post as a "disgusting person", Teoh criticised both him and Hirzi for dressing up as women, mocking a teenage girl and using sexual slurs against Choo, "just for having the audacity to launch a book".

In criticising their comments as sexist and abusive, Teoh highlighted that the incident had also affected her on a personal level as she had been the person who had encouraged Choo to publish her poetry book.

As per Teoh:

"The verbal abuse and sexist nature of their comments - and they way they incited hatred towards her - was truly horrible and I felt so bad for Nicole. Because I was the one who had encouraged Nicole to publish her book of poems. It felt like I was the one who was responsible for getting her into this situation."

She then highlighted that as a result of Dee Kosh's position as an "influential celebrity and DJ for Power 98", there were many people who also verbally abused Choo online, sending her sexually-explicit attacks, and comments that amounted to "violent threats".

This reached the point where Choo eventually felt "physically afraid", and headed overseas to stay with a friend for a few months.

Got the video removed over copyright infringement

Teoh added that she got the video removed after consulting with lawyers and was told that it had infringed on the copyright as pages of Choo's book were read out.

However, in the follow-up mock apology video, Teoh alleged that both Dee Kosh and Hirzi had continued to incite "hatred" against Choo and her company Bubbly Books, and that Dee Kosh had also posted the company profile on Twitter.

Subsequently, supposedly because of the video removal, Teoh was featured in Dee Kosh's Top 10 idiots of of the year 2018 video, in which she was directly named, along with her company details and email, which was partially censored.

In speculating that she could have filed a police report for doxxing and suing Dee Kosh for damages, Teoh stated that she eventually decided not to do so, as she hated confrontation and the idea of engaging with Dee Kosh.

Teoh then stated:

"So I thought about it. I thought about it some more. Then I dragged the decision so long that my anger got tucked away, forgotten. I never did anything further.

I forgot all about him until I saw yesterday's news. Then my disgust for him came rushing back. Then, my sympathy for all the young men he allegedly propositioned, coerced and sexually victimised. And I couldn't help wonder - if I had stood up to him back then, would it have done anything? If I had filed a police report, would it have at least prevented him from being so brazen in approaching young men? I will never know."

Hirzi on allegations against Dee Kosh: Shocked over incident, will try and ensure he is accountable

With regards to the allegations against Dee Kosh, Hirzi stated that he was "shell-shocked" by the incident and that he would try and ensure that Dee Kosh will be accountable for his actions.

Adding that he was currently conflicted, with his "principles and morals" fighting with the "natural instinct" of being a friend, he also explained that the reason for his initial delay in releasing his statement was to have a clearer grasp of events.

Hirzi then extended his sympathy to the victims, stating: "Know that just because I am his friend, does not mean I endorse what you all went through."

pic.twitter.com/6YCznp8RSb

— HirziOfficial (@HIRZIofficial) August 18, 2020

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