LONDON: Britain’s interior ministry on Monday said it had blocked two US-based political commentators from entering the country. Left-wing Israel critics Cenk Uygur, 56, and his nephew Hasan Piker, 34, had been due to speak at the SXSW London festival this week. “These individuals’ Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) has been canceled on the grounds that their presence in the UK may not be conducive to the public good,” the ministry said in a statement. The United Kingdom has seen tensions in recent months after a string of attacks targeting the Jewish community.

The ban on the left-wing commentators has shocked many across the political spectrum.

The United Kingdom’s Home Office said Piker and Uygur were blocked from entering the country because their presence “may not be conducive to the public good.”

The Young Turks founder says the move was retaliation for criticism of Israel