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Young Turks [the 'k' is pronounced as a 'd'] founder Cenk Uygur and his nephew, the left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, both virulent anti-Semites, have discovered that the politics of open borders and unrestricted movement occasionally collide with the realities of national sovereignty.
Both men announced Monday that they had been barred from entering the United Kingdom ahead of their planned appearances at the upcoming South by Southwest festival in London. The British government reportedly revoked their visas over concerns related to their public rhetoric on Israel, a remarkable development given the contemporary West's usual reluctance to police incendiary political speech.
According to Uygur, the British Home Office designated him a "serious risk to the public order" after he claimed that "Israel controls the American government through donations to 94% of Congress." Whether one views such remarks as criticism, conspiracy theory, or something in between, British authorities evidently concluded that importing them was not in the public interest as riots and destruction tend to occur when anti-Zionist/anti-Semitism are brought forth in the public arena.
The response from the loudmouth Uygur was immediate and characteristically dramatic.
"Are we free anymore?" he asked in a post on X. "This is oppression of Western citizens by our own governments on behalf of a different country!"
In a subsequent thread, Uygur portrayed the visa ban as a badge of honor.
"It is an honor to have made Israel's enemies list. I'm very proud to have fought against their genocide."
"The mighty United Kingdom is afraid of speech that shows you who's responsible for those war crimes. But no amount of censorship will get us to stop telling the truth."
Piker, who generally favors fewer words than his uncle, offered his own interpretation of events. He claimed the United Kingdom had revoked his visa at "the behest of Israel."
"The West is betraying 'liberal values' for a genocidal fascist foreign government," Piker wrote. "Soon we will all become Israel."
What a piece of human excrement this man is.
The episode highlights one of the more curious contradictions of modern political activism. Many of those who insist that nations have little right to control their borders become deeply indignant when a nation exercises precisely that right against them.
The controversy arrives amid additional scrutiny surrounding the execrable Piker.
The episode highlights one of the more curious contradictions of modern political activism. Many of those who insist that nations have little right to control their borders become deeply indignant when a nation exercises precisely that right against them.
The controversy arrives amid additional scrutiny surrounding the execrable Piker.
Last week, Fox News reported that the U.S. Treasury Department had subpoenaed Piker and CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, a self-loathing Jewish woman, as part of an investigation into whether activists violated U.S. sanctions during a trip to Cuba.
According to the report, investigators are examining the activities of roughly 40 American citizens who allegedly coordinated with foreign nationals, including Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, who recently gained attention after being detained by Israel following his participation in a Gaza-bound flotilla. He had been accused of inappropriate sexual activity, which he denied. and claimed he had been tortured by Israel, which is not at all likely.
Further subpoenas are reportedly expected.
Fox also reported that those under investigation include Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Representative Ilhan Omar. Sources told the network that investigators are examining whether Omar herself may have helped finance her daughter's travel.
For years, anti-Israel activists have portrayed themselves as dissidents bravely speaking truth to power. What appears to have unsettured Uygur and Piker is the realization that governments, including Western governments, sometimes retain the authority to decide who may cross their borders and under what conditions. Whether that authority has been exercised wisely in this case is a matter for debate. That the authority exists should not come as a surprise.
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