The United Kingdom has banned two leftist influencers from entering the country for scheduled public appearances. It is believed the reason for this action is the individuals’ stance on Israel.
Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and The Young Turks founder Cenk Uygur were set to speak at SXSW London and the Oxford Union in late May and early June. But U.K. officials decided to prevent them from attending because their presence “may not be conducive to the public good” even though they offered no specific charges, criminal convictions, or mentions of Israel in the formal statement.
However, Piker and Uygur have claimed it is their opposition to Israel that motivated this decision. Both men had been to the U.K. several times with no issue. However, in Piker’s case, pro-Israel groups and a Labour MP called to block him over antisemitic comments he made.
During a livestream, Piker said, “I’ve been banned from the U.K… my visa has also been revoked… at the behest of Israel.” He slammed what he called the West’s support for a “genocidal fascist foreign government.”
In a post on X, Uygur wrote, “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!”
I’ve been banned from the UK. I tried to get on a flight to London to attend SXSW London and give a speech at Oxford. 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!
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) May 31, 2026
Many left-leaning users on X condemned the move, with one saying, “Censoring critical voices is pretty usual in dictatorships.”
Others praised the U.K. for banning Uygur and Piker, with one saying, “The world is finally waking up to their nonstop toxic Islamist-leftist bs. Ban or no ban, those two haters deserve no platform.”
But there is a twist of irony here. The two influencers are complaining about the U.K.’s government not valuing their free speech. Yet, both of them have argued against allowing their political opponents to voice their views.
During a 2018 appearance on The Young Turks, Piker argued that the U.S. should not treat “hate speech” as protected by the First Amendment. He has also defended Twitch for banning other users over speech he believed to be harmful.
Uygur has also supported the idea of deplatforming and regulating right-wing influencers like Alex Jones and others. As is typically the case for left-wing authoritarians, they believe free speech is only for those who subscribe to their political beliefs. In this case, they are only getting that for which they have advocated for years.
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