A Labour MP has urged the Home Office to revoke the visa of prominent US live-streamer Hasan Piker ahead of his scheduled appearance at London's SXSW festival, saying his presence would be “not conducive to the public good.”
David Taylor, the MP for Hemel Hempstead, said it was “shocking” that the festival would invite someone who had “openly supported a proscribed terrorist organisation and spouted these kinds of vile antisemitic rants.” Piker, who has over three million Twitch followers and more than 1.5 million on X, is listed to speak on an event titled “How the American Left Learned to Speak the Internet” in early June.
The streamer has faced backlash over past comments. In 2019, he reportedly said on a livestream that “America deserved 9/11,” a remark he later admitted was “inappropriate.” Last month, he defended statements made on Pod Save America in which he claimed Hamas was “1,000 times better” than Israel and that he would “vote for Hamas over Israel every single time.” He has previously insisted he is not antisemitic but “anti-Israel”.
The Jewish community group CST urged organisers to “act responsibly” and prevent the UK from becoming a “platform” for Piker. “Hasan Piker has a record of promoting rhetoric that includes antisemitic themes, denial of well documented atrocities and apparent support for extremist groups,” the group said, adding that this was “entirely unacceptable” given his large online following.
SXSW London, which also features Esther Perel, Chelsea Clinton and Ant & Dec, said its programme brings together “a wide range of speakers with different associations, affiliations and perspectives” and that inclusion “does not imply endorsement.” It added that the festival is “built as a platform for open exchange across culture, business, creativity and technology, guided by our ethical framework and code of conduct.”
The call comes after Kanye West, who has used Nazi imagery and faced accusations of antisemitism, was barred from travelling to the UK to headline Wireless festival. The Government also recently blocked 11 foreign nationals described by Sir Keir Starmer as “far-right agitators” from entering the country ahead of a Tommy Robinson-led rally.
