The United Kingdom has barred two prominent US-based political commentators, Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker, from entering the country ahead of scheduled appearances at the SXSW London festival.
Britain’s Home Office announced on Monday that the Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) of the two commentators had been revoked, citing concerns that their presence in the country “may not be conducive to the public good.”
Uygur, a Turkish-American political commentator and founder of the online news platform The Young Turks, and Piker, a popular political streamer and content creator, were scheduled to participate in separate panel discussions during the six-day festival in London.
The decision comes amid heightened tensions in the UK following a series of incidents targeting the Jewish community in recent months.
Piker was expected to feature in a discussion titled How The American Left Learned to Speak the Internet, while Uygur had been slated to participate in a panel on technology and economic power structures titled Techno-Feudalism Is Here. Who Are The Lords?
Piker previously attracted controversy in 2019 over comments regarding the September 11 attacks, remarks he later described as inappropriate.
Reacting to the travel ban, Uygur accused British authorities of restricting free expression because of his criticism of Israel.
“I’ve been banned for criticising Israel. Are we free anymore?” he wrote on social media platform X.
Piker also criticised the move, alleging that the decision was influenced by Israel and represented a departure from Western liberal values.
The SXSW London festival, an international offshoot of the annual South by Southwest event in Austin, Texas, combines music, film, television screenings and public discussions on culture, technology and politics.
The latest action follows a similar decision by British authorities last month to deny entry to American rapper and fashion entrepreneur Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, over previous antisemitic remarks. Organisers subsequently cancelled his planned performances at London’s Wireless Festival.
