Left-wing political commentator Cenk Uygur and his nephew, Hasan Piker, have been denied entry to the U.K. by the government’s Home Office, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. It’ll mean they can no longer make their scheduled SXSW London appearances.
The Home Office said in a statement to THR on Monday that the pair’s Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) has been cancelled on the grounds that their “presence in the U.K. may not be conducive to the public good.” They added: “Decisions to refuse or cancel an ETA on these grounds are based solely on an assessment of the potential risk an individual may pose to U.K. Society.”
On social media, Uygur, host of populist political talkshow The Young Turks, said that he was banned for “criticising Israel.”
“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,” he wrote. “Are we free anymore? This is oppression of Western citizens by our own governments on behalf of a different country.”
Piker responded to his uncle’s post, adding: “The U.K. has revoked my visa as well. All at the behest of Israel,” and saying the West is “betraying ‘liberal values’ for a genocidal fascist foreign government.” Both men have condemned Israel for its war on Gaza following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack at an Israeli music festival. Since then, 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
