Leftwing US commentator calls decision to ban him from UK ‘Kafkaesque’

Cenk Uygur was due to appear at SXSW alongside streamer Hasan Piker but Home Office cancelled travel authorisation A leftwing US political commentator has described the UK government’s decision to ban him from entering the country as “haunting and hilarious” and “Kafkaesque”. Cenk Uygur, the founder and a host on Young Turks, a well-established progressive media outlet, was banned earlier this week from entering the UK to attend a speaking engagement alongside Hasan Piker, a Twitch streamer who has become a popular figure on the US political left. The decision by the Home Office to cancel their electronic travel authorisations (ETA) because their presence in the UK “may not be conducive to the public good” has led to questions over government censorship of free speech, been criticised by the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, as “grim”, and described by the free speech advocates Index on Censorship as a “worrying escalation”. When asked about the government’s decision on Thursday morning by Sky News, Uygur said: “It’s both a little bit haunting and hilarious at the same time. “I don’t really know what I’m being charged with here,” he added. “Am

Jun 4, 2026 → Jun 5, 2026