UK Bars Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur From Entry Ahead of SXSW Appearance

Turkish American commentators Hasan Piker (Left bias) and Cenk Uygur (Left) were barred from entering the UK on Monday, as they were scheduled to speak at SXSW London and an event in Oxford.

The Denial: Britain's Interior Ministry said the two were denied because "their presence in the UK may not be conducive to ​the public good." Reuters (Center) noted that the statement did not mention Israel, though Piker and Uygur both claimed their critical view of Israel is why they were not allowed entry.

Key Quotes: Uygur wrote on X, "I've been banned for criticizing Israel. Are we free anymore? This is oppression of Western citizens by our own governments on behalf of a different country!" Piker said on X that his visa was revoked "at the behest of Israel."

For Context: Uygur hosts The Young Turks podcast, is Piker's uncle, and briefly ran as a Democrat in the 2024 presidential election.

Previously: In January, the UK barred Dutch activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek (Right), giving the same reason it did for Piker and Uygur, after she called Prime Minister Keir Starmer "evil." Vlaardingerbroek has vocally supported a hardline stance on migration and criticized Starmer for "allowing the ongoing rape and killing of British girls by migrant rape gangs" while cracking down on social media platform X "under the pretense of 'women's safety.'"

How The Media Covered It: The story was more widely covered by the left and center as of midday Monday, though Breitbart (Right) published original coverage. The outlet wrote, "It was further stated that Uygur's history of being a grooming gang denier also influenced the decision," and included context on its own reporting on sexual violence in the UK and Uygur's past comments. Breitbart also noted that Piker is currently under investigation in the US for his activism in Cuba. Several outlets across the spectrum pointed to The Times of London (Center) as a source of some of the original reporting. CNN (Lean Left) described the two as "pro-Palestinian." Breitbart described them as "hard-left."

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.