Hasan Piker says UK has barred him, trashes 'unbelievable...power' of pro-Israel groups

Hasan Piker, the Twitch‑streaming political commentator known for his Marxist leanings, found himself at the center of a multi‑jurisdictional controversy this week. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued an administrative subpoena demanding financial, logistical and communications records from Piker concerning his March visit to Cuba, where he allegedly engaged in activities that could breach American sanctions aimed at the Cuban government.

The subpoena follows a separate confrontation that occurred the night before at a protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark, New Jersey. Demonstrators shouted at Piker, labeling him a “fraud” and a “dog abuser,” and demanded that he “go back to the desktop.” Piker has denied accusations that he trained his dog, Kaya, with an electric collar.

In the United Kingdom, Piker’s planned week‑long speaking tour – slated to include appearances at SXSW London and a debate at the Oxford Union – was abruptly halted when British authorities refused to grant him an Electronic Travel Authorization, the document required for most U.S. visitors. He told his Twitch audience that the denial effectively barred him from entering the country, noting that he had visited the UK numerous times before and that the objections were based on statements he had made previously. “I’ve been banned from the UK,” he said, adding that the decision was “f‑ing ridiculous.”

Piker contended that the refusal was rooted in alleged antisemitism, a claim he rejected outright. He argued that criticism of Israel was being conflated with hatred of Jews and asserted that “Israel advocacy organizations have unbelievable amounts of power over what even the United Kingdom has to say and do.” According to him, the government succumbed to pressure from pro‑Israel lobby groups, creating a precedent that he described as a broader crackdown on dissenting political voices across Western democracies.

British Jewish organisations have voiced similar concerns, urging the Home Office to block Piker’s entry. They argued that his remarks about Hamas, Hezbollah, Zionism and Orthodox Jews, as well as his past statements that the United States “deserved” the September 11 attacks, made his presence “not conducive to the public good.” Labour MP David Taylor echoed these sentiments, calling on the Home Office to revoke Piker’s visa ahead of his scheduled appearances.

The controversy also extended to Piker’s family; Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood recently revoked the travel authorization of his uncle, Cenk Uygur, founder of the news programme “The Young Turks,” after determining that his uncle’s presence would similarly be “not conducive to the public good.”

Meanwhile, a separate federal inquiry appears to be zeroing in on Neville Roy Singham, an American businessman based in Shanghai who has financed a network of nonprofit groups with socialist or communist affiliations, including CodePink, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the ANSWER Coalition. Treasury officials have issued subpoenas to these organisations, linking them to the March convoy to Cuba that Piker participated in. Piker defended the groups at the ICE protest, describing their leaders as “wonderful people,” even as analysts warn that the network may be advancing anti‑American, pro‑Chinese Communist narratives and exacerbating social division.

Piker indicated that he is exploring the possibility of applying for a standard visa despite the ETA denial, though he acknowledged the effort may be futile. He warned that the UK’s decision could set a precedent for travel restrictions in other countries such as Australia and Canada, signaling “a very different timeline” for his international engagements.