Logan Paul: YouTube star apologises after filming suicide victim hanging from tree in Japan

Francesca Gillett2 January 2018

An American YouTube star has apologised after filming and sharing a video which showed a suicide victim hanging from a tree.

Logan Paul, who has more than 15 million YouTube fans, sparked outrage after posted footage of him and his friends visiting a Japanese "suicide forest" near Mount Fiji.

The video, which has been deleted, showed the group loudly joking around after discovering a dead body and Paul said: "I'm not even f****** kidding, can you see it?"

Paul zoomed the camera in on the dead body in Japan’s Aokigahara woodland, known to be a frequent site for suicides, before saying: “Yo, you alive? You cool with this?”

Logan Paul travelled to the forest near Mount Fiji with several friends
YouTube/LoganPaul

He faced a furious backlash after posting the footage online with other YouTube stars slamming Paul, 22, and claiming he had “just ended his career”.

One woman wrote on Twitter: “I’m truly sickened by this Logan Paul situation. I lost my brother to suicide… how insensitive and sick can you be to film someone in that state.”

Others called for the star to be banned from the social media platform while another YouTube personality Chris Ryan called the decision to show the body as “horrible and not okay”.

Francis Maxwell tweeted: “The worst part is Logan Paul’s cult fan base is little children. Who just watched their idol laugh and joke as someone ended their life. Garbage person.”

Another woman named April added: “Logan Paul knew what he was doing. He’s not “sorry”. He disrespected that suicide victim, people with mental illnesses and Japan. Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. He knew what he was doing and I’m disgusted.”

Fellow vlogger PewDiePie – himself the subject of various controversies – suggested Paul had created the video just for "likes" on his channel.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning (UK time), Paul shared a written apology on Twitter which began simply: “Where do I begin… let’s start with this – I’m sorry.

“This is a first for me,” the vlogger wrote. “I’ve never faced criticism like this before, because I’ve never made a mistake like this before.

“I’m surrounded by good people and believe I make good decisions, but I’m still a human being. I can be wrong.”

He added: “I didn’t do it for views. I get views. I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not cause a monsoon of negativity. That’s never the intention.

“I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention and while I thought, ‘if this video saves just ONE life, it’ll be worth it,’ I was misguided by shock and awe, as portrayed in the video. I still am.”

The apology goes on: “I do this s*** every day. I’ve made a 15 minute TV show EVERY SINGLE DAY for the past 460+ days. One may understand that it’s easy to get caught up in the moment without fully weighing the possible ramifications.

“I’m often reminded of how big a reach I truly have and with great power comes great responsibility… for the first time in my life I’m regretful to say I handled that power incorrectly.

“It won’t happen again. I believe in people. I’m out here. Peace #Logang4Life.”

The original video has since been deleted although other people have reposted the footage to YouTube.

Paul, who first became known through his use of short-form video clip platform Vine, has also starred in occasional film and TV work.

His recent videos include “why 2017 was the best year of my life” and “we threw my pregnant assistant a baby”.

The Aokigahara woodland has a reputation in Japan and internationally as a destination for people who want to kill themselves.

Officials no longer publish figures for suicides there to avoid publicising the site but it is believed that it has been more than 100 in some years.

Signs have been placed in the forest urging people to seek medical help rather than taking their own life.

For confidential support on mental health call the Samaritans on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or attend a local Samaritans branch.

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