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World Service,03 Jun 2026,27 mins

Why the UK banned Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur

The Global Story

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On Sunday, two prominent left-wing political commentators in the US 鈥 Hasan Piker and his uncle, Cenk Uygur 鈥 said they had been barred from visiting the UK. Both men were due to appear at the SXSW London festival, but say the British government blocked them from entering the country because of their criticism of Israel. The British government confirmed that it had denied them entry on the grounds that their presence in the UK 鈥渕ay not be conducive to the public good鈥 but did not elaborate further. Their cases have sparked renewed debate about the limits of free speech in the UK. We speak to American political activist Shabbos Kestenbaum 鈥 who was due to debate Cenk Uygur in London 鈥 and to the legal academic and host of the 麻豆社鈥檚 The Law Show, Joelle Grogan. Producers: Sam Chantarasak, Lucy Pawle and Aron Keller Executive producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: Hasan Piker speaks to members of the media at the venue for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani's election night rally in Brooklyn, New York, November 4, 2025. Credit: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

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