British authorities said Monday they blocked Hasan Piker, a Turkish American online streamer, and another political commentator from entering the U.K. to speak at public events.
Piker, a liberal political commentator who is frequently critical of U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel and the war in Gaza, has 2.8 million followers on Twitch.
The Home Office said that the electronic travel authorization, or ETA, for Piker and Cenk Uygur, who hosts the “Young Turks” online political talk show and is reportedly Piker’s uncle, were canceled “on the grounds that their presence in the U.K. may not be conducive to the public good.”
“Decisions to refuse or cancel an ETA on these grounds are based solely on an assessment of the potential risk an individual may pose to U.K. society,” the Home Office said.
Piker and Uygur were due to speak at SXSW London, a culture, technology and creativity festival, this month. Uygur was also expected to give a speech at the Oxford Union, the prestigious student debating society.
“A sad state of affairs where obviously the interests of Israel take the highest priority,” Piker said on his YouTube channel.
Uygur said on X that he had been banned “for criticizing Israel. Are we free any more?”
Piker has faced criticism over some of his comments on the Hamas militant group, which is considered a terrorist organization in the U.K. and the U.S., among other countries.
With all due respect, the King is a figurehead with zero political influence. He is "head of state" in name only. Unlike, say, a Presidential system like the US or French where the president is elected, political, has HUGE consequences on the nation, heads the government and chooses the leaders of the house. Charlie does absolutely none of that.
Whilst I agree having a monarch is anachronistic in the 21st century, it works with greater impartiality than the "King" of the US. The UK and the other constitutional monarchies are never beholden to the whims of their head of state, unlike that of the major powers, not since Magna Carta and/or The English Civil War. USians seem to think we live in the days of Absolute Monarchs - which is kinda what you guys have.