The United Kingdom has denied entry to Cenk Uygur, a Turkish-American media figure, and his nephew Hasan Piker, a U.S. commentator, both of whom are known for their left-wing views. The two were scheduled to speak at events in the UK.
Uygur, co-host of the YouTube channel “The Young Turks”, and Piker claimed they were barred due to their opinions on Israel. Britain’s interior ministry cited that their presence was “not conducive to the public good”. The ministry’s statement did not directly reference Israel.
The pair were slated to present at the SXSW London festival and the University of Oxford. Uygur expressed concern over the restriction, questioning whether freedom still existed after being unable to board his flight. Piker mentioned the revocation of his visa, attributing it to influence from Israel.
Their planned discussions at SXSW did not mention Israel. The event, described as a festival of “business, technology, and creativity”, was set to feature Uygur speaking on “Techno-Feudalism is Here. Who Are the Lords?”, while Piker was to discuss “How the American Left Learned to Speak the Internet”.
Recently, U.S. leaders, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, have expressed concerns about free speech limitations in Britain. Previously, the UK prohibited the entry of eleven individuals labeled as “foreign far-right agitators”, who planned to attend an event hosted by anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson.
Uygur engages over 200 million viewers each month through “The Young Turks”. He briefly ran as a Democratic nominee in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Piker has a daily viewership of 30,000 on Twitch.