The influencer behind Nithya Raman’s “fascist liars” video has built a massive online following by wading into explosive social-justice battles — and launching viral campaigns that have racked up millions of views.
Ed Choi, who posts as @etchaskej and has amassed nearly 800,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram, interviewed the Los Angeles mayoral hopeful in the video that erupted into controversy Monday night.
But Choi was already well versed in whipping up online firestorms.
@cassidy Great White Melrose displaying that this is a Pattern of Behavior towards your Asian patrons so until this is addressed, Asian Americans will take our $1 TRILLION in buying power elsewhere. #greatwhite #samcooper #samtrude #losangeles #asiantiktok
Last year, he repeatedly targeted Los Angeles restaurant group Great White after false allegations surfaced that Asian customers were being segregated.
The claims began with a diner alleging Asian customers were being seated together at its Melrose location, before the restaurant’s name itself became part of the online backlash.
Great White’s owners strongly denied discriminating against customers based on race or ethnicity and said the restaurant was named after the great white shark, which features in its branding.
Choi ultimately published more than a dozen videos about Great White and its then-former sister restaurant Gran Blanco, according to the Los Angeles Times, helping propel the allegations across social media.
One early video topped 1 million Instagram views.
As the online backlash exploded and the owners, employees and their families received threatening and harassing messages, Choi publicly condemned the harassment.
His latest controversy erupted after he sat down with Raman, who is challenging Mayor Karen Bass. In the video, Choi says Los Angeles has become “extremely fascist, especially because Karen Bass appointed Jim McDonnell as the chief of police.”
He then asks Raman how she would “de-fascistize” the city.
The pair later deliver the line together: “Only you can stop fascist liars.”
The video also flashes images of Bass and McDonnell before putting a large red X over the LAPD chief’s face.
Raman’s campaign said Choi added the images after the interview and that Raman intended the “fascist liars” remark to refer to ICE and the Trump administration.
The campaign said it removed itself from the post and asked Choi to take the video down.
Choi, a former stand-up comic and clothing brand co-founder, has said he pivoted toward social-justice content following the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings, which left eight people dead, including six Asian women.
Choi later jumped into another viral restaurant controversy involving San Francisco’s Kis Cafe, posting a reaction video that amassed more than 3.2 million views and urging followers not to support the business.
Kis Cafe later closed after a much broader social-media backlash that began when another influencer posted about an encounter with its chef-owner. The restaurant subsequently reopened under a new name and different leadership.
More recently, Choi has turned his considerable online megaphone toward immigration enforcement, promoting detainee fundraisers and anti-ICE causes.
He has also claimed two federal agents recently showed up at his home over his online activity involving ICE personnel.
But there is no public confirmation from federal authorities that Choi is under investigation or has been accused of a crime.
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