Hasan Piker says UK has barred him, trashes 'unbelievable...power' of pro-Israel groups
It hasn't been a great last few days for Marxist political influencer Hasan Piker.
First, as Fox News Digital reported exclusively last week, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) sent Piker an administrative subpoena seeking financial, logistical and communications records related to his March trip to Cuba as part of an investigation into whether he violated U.S. sanctions laws against doing business with the communist regime running the island nation.
Then last night, during protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark, N.J., hecklers confronted Piker, calling him a "f---ing fraud, " "fake-a-- grifter" and "dog abuser," telling him, "Go back to the desktop." (Piker has denied allegations he trained his dog, Kaya, with a shock collar.)
Now, Piker told his loyal following on the gaming platform Twitch that British authorities denied his Electronic Travel Authorization, or ETA, preventing him from traveling to the United Kingdom for a series of scheduled appearances, including events at SXSW London and the Oxford Union. Approved U.S. travelers to the UK can enter the country with a simple Electronic Travel Authorization, which is easier to get then a formal visa.
"I've been banned from the UK," Piker told viewers. "I've been to the UK on numerous occasions, and all of the things they're complaining about now are things I've said before."
He went on to say, "It's f---ing ridiculous."
HASAN PIKER DEFENDS PRO-COMMUNIST, ANTI-ICE SINGHAM NETWORK ACTIVISTS AS 'WONDERFUL PEOPLE'
Although Fox News Digital could not confirm Piker's claim, such a move by the UK would be significant because it would mark a potential red line that a Western government has drawn regarding the importation of extremist ideas and ideological movements that officials believe may contribute to social unrest, extremism or political violence.
At the tail end of a long livestream, Piker said he was denied entry for alleged antisemitism, which he denied, and then proceeded to lash out at Jewish organizations that he said had campaigned against his visit, claiming they wielded excessive influence over British policy.
"Israel advocacy organizations have unbelievable amounts of power over what even the United Kingdom has to say and do," Piker said. "If you're an avowed anti-Zionist, your travel will be restricted."
Piker accused the UK government of bowing to pressure from pro-Israel advocacy groups and described the decision as evidence of a growing crackdown on political dissent across Western democracies.
The comments came weeks after several British Jewish organizations publicly urged the government to block Piker's entry into the country, citing remarks they described as antisemitic and supportive of extremist groups. Piker has said he believed the U.S. deserved the 9/11 attack as "backlash" for its foreign policy decisions. The Jewish Leadership Council and Community Security Trust argued that Piker's presence in Britain would not be "conducive to the public good," pointing to his comments about Hamas, Hezbollah, Zionism and Orthodox Jews.
Labour MP David Taylor also called on the Home Office to revoke Piker's visa ahead of scheduled appearances at SXSW London, arguing that his rhetoric had contributed to concerns within Britain's Jewish community.
Punctuating his commentary about the UK decision with deep sighs, cursing and rage at suggestions from his followers, Piker repeatedly rejected accusations of antisemitism, saying criticism of Israel was being conflated with hatred of Jews. He said the decision reflected a broader trend in which governments are suppressing anti-Israel voices.
"This is straight-up fascism," Piker said. "Being critical of Israel while combating antisemitism is not a good enough reason to bar someone entry into the country."
The streamer said he had planned a week-long trip that included appearances alongside former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, a live podcast recording and an event at Oxford Union.
Varoufakis is the co-founder of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit group, Progressive International, which Piker credits with getting him to Cuba for a March aid convoy that may have violated U.S. laws. A Fox News Digital investigation chronicled how Progressive International and its co-founder David Adler have allegedly been a critical part of a foreign influence operation by the Communist Party of Cuba. Progressive International and Adler didn't respond to a request for comment.
The U.K. government didn't respond to a request for comment. However, in recent weeks, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, a critic of Israeli policies, recently revoked the travel authorization of Piker's uncle, Cenk Uygur, founder of "The Young Turks," after concluding his presence would not be "conducive to the public good."
During the livestream, Piker warned that the alleged UK decision could set a precedent for other Western countries, including Australia and Canada, potentially restricting his future travel.
"I genuinely did not think this would happen," he said. "We're moving into a very different timeline."
Piker said he and his team were exploring whether he could apply for a standard visa despite the denial of the Electronic Travel Authorization, though he acknowledged it was a long shot.
Piker's case intersects with a broader inquiry into the influence of transnational activist networks operating in the United States. During a livestream this week, Piker said that the Treasury Department's investigation into his Cuba trip may ultimately be focused on Neville Roy Singham, an American Marxist businessman living in Shanghai who has funded a network of nonprofit organizations and activist groups that have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and administration officials.
Among the organizations funded by Singham is CodePink, which also received a Treasury Department administrative subpoena related to its participation in the March convoy to Cuba, as well as groups such as the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the ANSWER Coalition. All three organizations openly identify with socialist or communist political traditions and have been prominent organizers of anti-Israel demonstrations across the United States since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas against Israel.
Critics argue that some of those demonstrations have created hostile environments for Jews in the UK, U.S., and elsewhere, including the use of slogans such as "From the river to the sea," which calls for the elimination of Israel.
Trump administration officials are investigating the groups tied to Singham as a transnational network advancing anti-American, pro-Chinese Communist Party and anti-Western narratives while exploiting political and social divisions inside the U.S.
Lawmakers, Treasury officials and national security analysts have increasingly examined whether such networks are helping to amplify polarization, social discord, and hostility toward democratic institutions. Meanwhile, last night at the ICE protest, Piker defended the groups as led by "wonderful" people.
The debate has been particularly acute in Europe, where governments have grappled with alliances between far-left activists and Islamist organizations that have joined forces around anti-Israel activism and antisemitism. Critics argue that some of these coalitions have fomented rhetoric and violence hostile to Jews, leading to rising antisemitism in the UK, much like in the U.S.
For his part, Piker ended his podcast defiant, angry and seemingly deflated for the moment, repeating again, "Bro, they banned me from the UK," and then finally closing the podcast, saying, "I'm done for the day."