Britain Just Barred Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur From Entering the Country

Why? Because of their Pro-Palestine commentary

The British government has blocked American political commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur from entering the United Kingdom, preventing them from appearing at scheduled public events, including SXSW London and a speaking engagement at Oxford.

Cenk + Hasan via BBC

According to both commentators, they were informed that their authorization to enter the country had been revoked. Britain’s Home Office stated only that their presence in the UK “may not be conducive to the public good.”

That’s a remarkably vague standard for a country that routinely presents itself as a defender of democratic values and free expression. Neither man was traveling to organize violence, nor were they accused of committing a crime in the United Kingdom; they were scheduled to speak at public forums about politics, technology, media, and contemporary issues.

Whether you agree with Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur is irrelevant; in a functioning democracy, governments should not be in the business of deciding which political commentators are permitted to enter the country based on whether officials approve of their views.

This case is particularly notable because Western governments frequently criticize authoritarian states for restricting political speech, censoring dissidents, and limiting public debate. Yet increasingly, democratic governments are adopting their own mechanisms for determining which voices are acceptable and which are not.

The British government has not publicly detailed the specific reasoning behind the decision beyond a broad statement about the “public good.” That lack of transparency only raises more questions. If governments can deny entry to political commentators because their views are controversial, where exactly is the line?

Today, it’s a left-wing commentator, tomorrow it could be a journalist, activist, academic, labor organizer, or anyone whose views happen to fall out of favor with those in power.