Hasan Piker Blasts SXSW London's Response After UK Entry Ban

Political commentator Hasan Piker has taken aim at SXSW London following his denial of entry to the United Kingdom, where he was set to appear as a panelist at the festival.

The 34-year-old content creator, along with his uncle Cenk Uygur, was barred from entering the country. Both men were scheduled to participate in festival programming. Piker attributes the ban to his public criticism of Israel.

On Monday, June 1, Piker vented his frustrations across social media and during a Twitch broadcast. He characterized SXSW London's handling of the situation as inadequate and pledged to sever ties with the organization.

"sxsw was a minor part of my trip to the uk," he posted on Twitter/X. "they totally didn't defend me or cenk at all, they're actual f-cking losers and i will never work with them for the rest of my life. if you bought a ticket expecting to see me you should demand a refund."

The commentator expressed shock at the Home Office decision under the current Labour government. "i've been fighting the far right for a decade plus," he wrote. "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."

An SXSW London representative responded by noting that entry decisions fall under the purview of the Home Office. "SXSW London's role is to convene a broad range of diverse voices and perspectives," the spokesperson told TheWrap. "We remain focused on delivering a programme this week fostering open dialogue and exchange of ideas and featuring more than 800 speakers, artists and screenings."

Piker had been slated for a panel discussion titled "How the American Left Learned to Speak the Internet" alongside commentator Ash Sarkar. Sarkar subsequently withdrew from the event in solidarity with Piker, sharing her decision on social media.

During his livestream, Piker elaborated on his grievances with the festival. He emphasized that he was not being compensated for his participation and was volunteering his time. After his visa was revoked, he contended that SXSW's official statement proved insufficient.

"It's not like they're paying me, right? I'm not getting paid by SXSW to do this, right? It's actually really insane. I'm doing this as a f—king favor and they're literally farming donations off of my image off of my likeness," he said. "Then it's crazy that they just, once the Home Office intervened and revoked my visa, when the Home Office intervened and revoked my visa, SXSW's statement was disgusting. Like, it was literally nothing."

Piker noted that festival organizers removed his speaker profile from their website and offered only a brief explanation to participants. "To us, they were like, 'Sorry, we have to abide by the governemnt's demands.' That was one. And then their public thing was they just deleted my background page. They just deleted my speaker page," he explained.