The progressive political commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker said Monday they had been barred from entering the United Kingdom to speak at events.
Uygur, who co-hosts the YouTube series “The Young Turks,” and his nephew Piker, who broadcasts his commentary on the video platform Twitch, said on social media they had been blocked because of their views about Israel.
In a statement, the British Home Office, or interior ministry, said travel authorization for “these individuals” had been canceled as “their presence in the U.K. may not be conducive to the public good.” The statement did not mention Israel.
Decisions to “refuse or cancel” people’s electronic travel authorization “on these grounds are based solely on an assessment of the potential risk an individual may pose to UK society,” the ministry added.
Uygur and Piker had been listed to speak at the London edition of the South by Southwest festival this week and at the University of Oxford over the weekend.
“I’ve been banned for criticizing Israel. Are we free anymore?” Uygur said on X after saying he had tried to board a flight.
“The UK has revoked my visa as well,” Piker said on X. “All at the behest of Israel.”
The Israeli government did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on Uygur’s and Piker’s posts.
Piker had been scheduled to deliver a talk at SXSW titled “How the American Left Learned to Speak the Internet.” Uygur’s session was titled “Techno-Feudalism is Here. Who Are the Lords?”
SXSW London describes itself as a festival of “business, technology and creativity.” It is the first European version of a popular festival of the same name held annually in Austin, Texas.
The festival did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Piker blasted the organizers of SXSW on X as “losers” because they “totally didn’t defend” him or his uncle.
“I will never work with them for the rest of my life,” he said in part. “If you bought a ticket expecting to see me you should demand a refund.”
In recent months, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have raised concerns about what they argue are infringements on free speech in Britain.
The British government in May blocked 11 people from entering the country, describing them as “foreign far-right agitators.” The people had been scheduled to speak at an event organized by anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson.
Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, was blocked from entering Britain in April amid backlash over his antisemitic social media posts and songs.
Uygur, 56, draws more than 200 million views a month for “The Young Turks,” according to the SXSW London website. He was briefly a candidate in the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries.
Piker, 34, attracts a daily audience of 30,000 people on the livestreaming platform Twitch, according to the SXSW website.
