UK Blocks Uygur, Piker Entry, Cites Public Good
Last update: June 1, 2026
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Two of America’s most outspoken left-wing voices just got the door slammed shut on them by Britain — and they’re not happy about it.
The UK has officially barred two big-name US political commentators from setting foot in the country, according to cbinews.tv.
Britain’s Home Office confirmed on Monday that it cancelled the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for Cenk Uygur, 56, and his nephew Hasan Piker, 34. The reason? Their presence “may not be conducive to the public good.”
Both men were scheduled to speak at SXSW London this week. The festival, which runs until Saturday, is the UK spin-off of the famous Austin event mixing music, film and big-think panels.
Piker, a streamer and creator, was lined up for a talk called “How the American Left Learned To Speak the Internet”. Uygur, the Turkish American founder of left-wing YouTube channel The Young Turks, was set to discuss “Techno-Feudalism Is Here. Who Are The Lords?” on Wednesday.
This comes amid heightened tensions in the UK following a series of attacks targeting the Jewish community in recent months.
Neither commentator is a stranger to controversy. Back in a 2019 livestream, Piker sparked outrage after reportedly saying “America deserved 9/11” — a remark he later admitted was “inappropriate”.
Uygur didn’t hold back after the ban. Posting on X, he wrote: “I’ve been banned for criticising Israel. Are we free anymore? This is oppression of western citizens by our own governments on behalf of a different country.”
Piker echoed the sentiment: “the uk has revoked my visa as well. all at the behest of israel. the west is betraying ‘liberal values’ for a genocidal fascist foreign government. soon we will all become israel.”
They’re not the only Americans recently denied entry. Last month, the British government also blocked Kanye West — now known as Ye — from entering for the Wireless Festival over past antisemitic comments. Organisers pulled the plug on the three-night event in July.
Source: cbinews.tv
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