Banning leftwing activists from entering Britain: an illiberal move with a long history in this country
The cancellation of Cenk Uygur’s and Hasan Piker’s visas tells us that the home secretary ’s powers to police speech are too broad
TL;DR
- The UK government banned Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker from entering the country, citing their presence may not be conducive to the public good.
- This action is compared to the 1967 ban of activist Stokely Carmichael, suggesting a pattern of restricting dissenting voices.
- The article criticizes the Home Secretary's broad powers to refuse visas based on vague grounds like 'unacceptable behaviour' and potentially impacting foreign policy.
- Uygur and Piker, while sometimes using provocative language, are described as having relatively mainstream political views compared to individuals typically banned.
- The ability to ban individuals from entering the UK is seen as an outdated and overly broad form of censorship, especially given the ease of remote communication.
- The author argues that these visa bans are part of a larger pattern of the government narrowing the boundaries of speech and political freedoms.