Political commentators Cenk, Piker say UK bars them over Israel remarks

US political commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker say they had been barred from entering the United Kingdom and British authorities cited their public comments about Israel as the reason for the decision.

Uygur, cofounder of The Young Turks, a United States-based online political news and commentary network, said he learned of the restriction while trying to board a flight to London, where he was scheduled to attend the SXSW London festival and deliver a speech at Oxford University.

Cenk Uyghur wrote, on Twitter:

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!

Hasan Piker wrote, on Twitter:

i’ve been fighting the far right for a decade plus. i never would’ve imagined a labor govt would ban me from entering the uk. dark times ahead for the west. liberalism is dead, maga fascism and it’s corrosive influence is felt everywhere.

Several UK politicians and commentators have spoken out against the ban