Online Commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur Denied Entry to UK for Scheduled Public Events

LONDON – British officials announced on Monday that they have barred Hasan Piker, a Turkish American digital streamer, along with another political commentator, from entering the United Kingdom to participate in public speaking engagements.

Piker, known for his liberal political perspectives and his critiques of U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel, and the conflict in Gaza, boasts a substantial following of 2.8 million on the streaming platform Twitch.

The Home Office revealed that the electronic travel authorizations (ETAs) for Piker and Cenk Uygur, the host of the online political show “The Young Turks” and reportedly Piker’s uncle, were revoked. The decision was made on the basis that their presence in the country might not serve the public interest.

The Home Office stated, “Refusal or cancellation of an ETA on these grounds is determined exclusively by evaluating the potential risk an individual might present to U.K. society.”

Piker and Uygur were scheduled to deliver talks at SXSW London, an event celebrating culture, technology, and creativity, this month. Additionally, Uygur had plans to speak at the Oxford Union, a respected forum for student debates.

“A sad state of affairs where obviously the interests of Israel take the highest priority,” Piker said on his YouTube channel.

Uygur said on X that he had been banned “for criticizing Israel. Are we free any more?”

Piker has faced criticism over some of his comments, including those in favor of the Hamas militant group, which is considered a terrorist organization in the U.K. and the U.S., among other countries.

Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage, in an attack that triggered the war in Gaza.

David Taylor, a Labour lawmaker who called for Piker to be blocked, said that “there is no reason we should open our doors to those who seek to spread hate and division, especially someone who’s supported a proscribed terror group.”

But Green Party leader Zack Polanski said that the government was “doing everything possible to silence criticism of the Israeli government.”

In April, the U.K. government barred the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, from entering the country, where he was scheduled to headline the Wireless Festival in London in July, after a backlash over his history of antisemitic remarks.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the time that his government “stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism.”