Is Britain becoming less tolerant of dissent? US political commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker have said they have been prevented from entering the United Kingdom, claiming their criticism of Israel played a role in the decision.
“I’ve been banned from the UK,” Uygur wrote on social media.
“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,” said Uygur.
Piker, who responded to Uygur’s post, made a similar claim.
“The UK has revoked my visa as well,” he wrote. “All at the behest of Israel. The West is betraying ‘liberal values’ for a genocidal fascist foreign government.”
Neither commentator publicly provided documentation supporting the claim that British authorities acted specifically because of their views on Israel.
During a livestream, Piker said he had planned to travel to the UK to meet political figures including Green Party leader Zack Polanski and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, as well as participate in an event at Oxford University.
Piker argued that Western governments are increasingly prioritising Israeli interests over free expression. “The interests of Israel take priority,” he said during the broadcast.
Responding to viewers who noted that right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley had recently been able to enter the UK, Piker suggested that authorities were selectively targeting critics of Israel.
He described Shirley as “a dog for the fascist state” and argued that Western countries are moving towards what he characterised as a “1930s-era” form of authoritarianism.
Piker, known online as “HasanAbi,” is one of the largest political streamers on Twitch. His content focuses on American politics, foreign policy and social issues. Before launching his independent platform, he worked for The Young Turks.
Uygur is the co-founder of The Young Turks, a progressive online news and commentary network. He has frequently argued that criticism of Israeli government policies is being conflated with anti-Semitism in political and media discourse.
According to Uygur, British authorities objected to comments he made in the United States about Israeli influence in American politics. He said officials considered some of those remarks anti-Semitic.
Uygur said the comment in question was his assertion that Israel “controls the American government” through political donations – a claim he maintains is factual but which, he said, British officials regarded as anti-Semitic.
“The mighty United Kingdom is afraid of speech that shows you who’s responsible for those war crimes,” Uygur wrote. “But no amount of censorship will get us to stop telling the truth.”
The dispute comes amid a broader debate over free speech and political controls in the UK.
In May, British authorities also barred several right-wing activists, politicians and commentators from entering the country. Those refused entry ahead of a rally backed by activist Tommy Robinson included US commentator Joey Mannarino and the rapper Kanye West.
The government and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer argued that some individuals sought to inflame tensions or participate in activities deemed contrary to the public interest. Starmer has described such figures as “far-right agitators”.
The move has raised concerns about whether political viewpoints are increasingly being used as grounds for exclusion in the UK.
