LONDON — Britain has barred left-wing U.S. commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker from entering the U.K.
Uygur — a Turkish-American political activist who hosts the “Young Turks” YouTube channel — and his nephew Piker, a prominent Twitch streamer, were due to speak at the SXSW London Conference this week, and then at Oxford University.
The Home Office said it blocked their Electronic Travel Authorisation visa-waivers on the grounds that their presence “may not be conducive to the public good.” The pair could still apply for visas to travel to Britain.
Uygur claimed on social media that he was “banned for criticizing Israel” — linking the decision to his suggestion that Israel “controls” the U.S. government.
“They say that my charge that Israel controls the American government through donations to 94% of Congress, while factual, is antisemitic nonetheless,” he posted on X.
A U.K. official, with knowledge of the decision and granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive process, told POLITICO the move was taken because of comments assessed to be antisemitic.
Piker told the “Pod Save America” podcast in April that he would “vote for Hamas over Israel every single time,” and in January described Hamas as being “a thousand times better” than the Jewish state, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The British government has also banned other foreign nationals with a history of controversial remarks from entering the country.
Rapper Kanye West was blocked from performing at a London festival in April after an outcry over past antisemitic comments. Eleven “far-right agitators” were also banned from entering the U.K. to attend a rally organized by anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson.