U.S. political commentators say U.K. barred them "for criticizing Israel"

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London — Two prominent left-wing American political commentators who had been due to speak at events in the United Kingdom have been denied entry to the country as the British government deemed their presence a risk "to the public good."

Cenk Uygur, a co-creator of the Young Turks political talk show, and Hasan Piker, also known as HasanAbi, who runs hours-long daily streams on Twitch and has one of the platform's most followed accounts, have been prevented from entering the U.K. to attend the SXSW London event.

"I've been banned from the UK" wrote Uygur in a social media post Sunday night. "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!"

Responding to the post, Piker told his 1.6 million followers on X that his U.K. entry clearance was also revoked.

"The UK has revoked my visa as well," he said. "All at the behest of Israel. The West is betraying 'liberal values for a genocidal fascist foreign government. Soon we will all become Israel."

The Home Office, the British government agency responsible for immigration and homeland security, confirmed to CBS News that Uygur and Piker were denied entry based on an "assessment of potential risks an individual may pose to UK society."

It said the government had determined their presence in the U.K. would be "not conducive to the public good."

According to Britain's Times newspaper, the decision was based on a perceived risk of exacerbating antisemitism in the U.K.

Piker has come under fire for comments in support of Hamas, and Uygur has referred to Israel's actions in Gaza as "barbaric."

Other comments from Piker include a 2019 statement that "America deserved 9/11" which he later acknowledged was inappropriate. Piker was previously suspended from Twitch over content deemed offensive by the platform, and he also faced backlash in 2019 for saying "America deserved 9/11," a remark for which he later apologized.

He did not apologize for suggesting Hamas was "1,000 times better" than Israel, however, and according to the BBC, he said during one episode of his Pod Save America podcast that he "would vote for Hamas over Israel every single time."

Piker has described himself not as antisemitic, but as "anti-Israel."

The British Jewish charity Community Security Trust raised concerns last week about Piker's participation in the event, saying: "The UK should not be a platform for individuals who spread hatred or legitimize extremism," and calling on SXSW London the organizers to "act responsibly."

The group welcomed the government's decision to bar the individuals entry, telling CBS News that "there must be consequences when public figures cross the line into hate speech."

In April, two Jewish men were stabbed in London's Golder's Green neighborhood, which has a large Jewish community, prompting the U.K. to raise its terrorism threat level to "severe," citing an increasing threat of extreme right-wing terrorism in the country.

British journalist and activist Ash Sarhar, who was due to chair the discussion with Piker, accused the government of acting out of "fear of being called antisemitic, and fear of being called out for their position on the genocidal war on Gaza."

David Taylor, a member of the U.K. Parliament, praised the Home Office, however, saying: "There is no reason to open our doors to those who seek to spread hate and division, especially to those who've supported a proscribed terror group."

If Uygur and Piker still wish to travel to the U.K., they can apply for visas and have their applications considered, however it is unlikely their cases would be reviewed in time to attend the event, which starts Monday. Organizers indicated that remote appearances were still possible.

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