Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker banned as the UK’s free speech backslide continues

This week, in the Streisand effect…

Cenk Uygur, political activist and co-host of “The Young Turks,” along with his nephew, the left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, were blocked from entering the UK this morning. Both were set to give several speeches at SXSW London as well as the Oxford Union in the coming week, but were alerted late last night that their visas had been revoked and they would not be admitted.

According to a statement from the British interior ministry, this was due to concerns that “their presence in the U.K. may not be conducive to the public good.”

No further reason was given by UK officials, which of course opened the floor up for speculation — particularly from Uygur, Piker, and their audiences. Although none of their scheduled talks were on the topic, both commentators cited their public stance on Israel and the war in Gaza as the reason behind their visa revocations.

“I’ve been banned for criticizing Israel,” Uygur posted on X. “Are we free anymore? This is oppression of Western citizens by our own governments on behalf of a different country!” 

Piker made similar comments on his Twitch stream late last night, saying, “It’s a sad state of affairs where obviously the interests of Israel take the highest priority.”

This is, unfortunately, a trend. Last month, the British government banned 11 “far right agitators” from entering the country ahead of a rally organized by controversial activist Tommy Robinson. In January, Dutch journalist and political commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek was also banned from entering the UK, three days after criticizing Prime Minister Keir Starmer on free speech grounds. French philosopher and anti-immigration activist Renaud Camus was also barred entry in April of last year for “going against the public good.”

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Like any country, the British government can exercise broad discretion when it comes to who it decides to let into its borders. There is currently no proof that Uygur’s and Piker’s views on Israel were the motivating factor behind their visa revocations, but if they were, it’s yet more evidence of the UK’s backsliding on free speech in recent years. Remember the UK police database tracking “non-crime hate incidents”? Or the 12,000 people arrested in the UK in 2023 for their online speech? And who can forget the UK government’s ominous and Orwellian “Think before you post” warning on social media back in 2024?

Perhaps most disappointingly, the banning of scheduled speakers from entering your country also betrays an unwillingness or inability to engage with ideas and arguments on their merits. Barring their entry and thinking you’ve shut them down is like having your opponent killed in the locker room before a boxing match and declaring yourself the champion. This, particularly in the land that gave us John Stuart Mill, is pretty shameful behavior.

And of course, preventing Uygur and Piker from entering will only increase the energy and attention surrounding their commentary, which already reaches massive audiences — including in the UK. “The Young Turks” averages 200 million views per month, and Piker’s Twitch stream has a daily audience of 30,000. Keeping them from speaking on your shores isn’t going to silence them at all. It’s just going to give them even more to talk about.