Hasan Piker, a liberal political commentator and Twitch streamer with over 2.8 million followers, was due to speak with fellow online commentator Cenk Uygur at the SXSW London festival and an event in Oxford. However, both creators have now been blocked from entering the United Kingdom with the Home Office revoking their visas.
Hasan Piker is a known liberal political commentator who often criticizes the current Trump Administration, Israel, and the war in Gaza. With over 2.8 million followers on Twitch, and 1.7 million followers on both Instagram and X (formally Twitter), he’s become a major voice within the younger generation of Americans fighting for human rights.
Recently, Piker was set to speak at the SXSW London festival, as well as an event in Oxford, with fellow online commentator Cenk Uyger, who is mainly known for co-founding and hosting the left-wing populist show “The Young Turks” on YouTube. However, the two were blocked from entering the United Kingdom after they stated the Home Office revoked their visas.
The two spoke out about their denial of entry to the UK, criticizing the government and claiming that they were both “banned for criticizing Israel,” according to reports.
Uygur, posting online, said: “I’ve been banned from the UK.
I tried to get on a flight to London to attend SXSW London and give a speech at Oxford. I’ve been banned for criticising Israel. Are we free any more? This is oppression of western citizens by our own governments on behalf of a different country.”
Piker also took to his social media to reply to Uygur’s post about his own denial to entering the UK.
“The UK has revoked my visa as well. All at the behest of Israel. The west is betraying ‘liberal values’ for a genocidal fascist foreign government. Soon we will all become Israel.”
Reports stated that both creators had their Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) canceled. In general, the decision to cancel someone’s ETA can be based on an assessment of the potential risk they may pose to the UK public good.
Labor MP David Taylor called for Piker to be denied entry into the UK last week, and went online recently to thank the home secretary for the decision.
“There’s no reason to open our doors to those who seek to spread hate and division, especially to those who’ve supported a proscribed terror group,” he wrote on X.
SXSW London is a six-day event in East London that holds conversations and talks about business, technology, music, film, and culture. A spokesperson for the event stated that they were made aware of the two not being able to travel to the UK anymore because of the revoking of their visas.
The spokesperson stated: “Decisions on entry to the UK are a matter for the Home Office and the individuals concerned. SXSW London’s role is to convene a broad range of diverse voices and perspectives. We remain focused on delivering a program this week fostering open dialogue and exchange of ideas and featuring more than 800 speakers, artists, and screenings.”
Piker was set to be a part of an event called “How The American Left Learned To Speak The Internet,” and Uygur was set to be a part of one called “Techno-Feudalism Is Here. Who Are The Lords?”
The visa denial also comes after earlier this year when Kanye West, Ye, was also blocked from coming to the UK after the Home Office said his presence would not be conductive of the public good.
Zack Polanski, Green Party leader, said that the visa denials are “a really grim decision.”
“People often talk about the dangerous road we’d go down under a Reform government – this is another clear warning we’re down there already. A Labor government doing everything possible to silence criticism of the Israeli government.”
Both Piker and Uygur were also set to speak at the Oxford Union, which is known as the world’s most prestigious debating society.
The Oxford Union president, Arwa Elrayess, said: “The Oxford Union intended to host Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker on 6 June for a discussion and head-to-head event with our members.
We are deeply concerned by the revocation of both speakers’ electronic travel authorisations on the basis that their appearances would not be ‘conducive to public good.’”
“The Oxford Union was founded on one principle: that ideas are challenged through debate, not silenced by decree. We have never turned a speaker away because of their political beliefs nor have we sought a permission slip from the state,” she added.
“We will not start now. This event will not be cancelled. The union will ensure this discussion takes place. Free speech does not require a visa. We will update our members shortly.”
A spokesperson for SXSW said that they did not make the same provisions for the two creators.
“We are aware that Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker are unable to travel to the UK following a decision by the Home Office. They will therefore not be participating in the SXSW London program this year.”
Jemimah Steinfeld, the chief executive of the Index on Censorship, is one of the many free speech activists that are criticizing the UK government’s decision to ban the two. Steinfeld called this a “worrying escalation.”
Akiko Hart, the director of Liberty Human Rights group, called out the government to be more transparent about why exactly they decided to ban the two.
“Free speech can only exist when we defend it for those we disagree with, as uncomfortable as it may feel.”
In recent months we have seen the government preventing people from entering the UK where their speech is deemed to have crossed the line
It is important that any Government decisions that restrict speech adhere to the very high standards set out in UK law – and that the Government is transparent about why and how decisions have been made.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
