US political commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur have been denied visas to enter the United Kingdom ahead of planned appearances in London. The reports follow correspondence sent by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) to the Home Office in May 2026 requesting that the Home Office consider whether the entry of Mr Piker and Mr Uygur would be “conducive to the public good” under the Immigration Rules. Concerns were also expressed by the Community Security Trust (CST) and others.
Mr Piker and Mr Uygur (who are nephew and uncle) had been scheduled to participate in events connected with SXSW London. This is a week-long festival held in Shoreditch and Hoxton, which includes technology and the creative industries. Mr Piker was also due to appear at a live podcast recording in London.
UKLFI’s submission provided the Home Office with compilations of a number of publicly available statements by each of the men. The submission requested that the Home Office review the evidence and determine whether immigration action was warranted.
After the initial submission was sent to the Home Office on 22 May 2026, UKLFI received an acknowledgement from Home Office Intelligence advising that intelligence submissions should be provided in either “3x5x2” or “5x5x5” format.
UKLFI subsequently submitted a further intelligence report in the requested 3x5x2 format together with supporting material.
The evidence regarding Mr Piker included:
- On 10 January 2026, in a post on X accompanying a video of a protest outside a New York City synagogue, Mr Piker wrote that “hamas is a thousand times better than the fascist settler colonial apartheid state.”
- In April 2026, during an interview for Pod Save America, Mr Hasan Piker reportedly stated that he would “vote for Hamas over Israel every single time”
The evidence regarding Mr Cenk Uygur included:
- He hosted David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, in an episode listed as “Ex-KKK Grand Wizard David Duke Explains How Jews Control Everything”.
- On X in September 2025, Mr Uygur stated: “If you don’t bow to Israel, they will hound you till the end of time.”
What is the 3x5x2 format?
The 3x5x2 format is a standard intelligence-reporting methodology used by law-enforcement and government agencies for assessing information. It requires information to be structured and graded so that decision-makers can assess both the reliability of the source and the credibility of the information provided.
A 3x5x2 report is in three parts:
- The first element evaluates the reliability of the source.
- The second element grades the accuracy and origin of the specific piece of intelligence.
- The third element states how the information can be used, shared and disseminated.
UKLFI’s revised submission set out a series of intelligence entries relating to Mr Piker and Mr Uygur, each accompanied by supporting references and a proposed intelligence grading.
Jonathan Turner, Chief Executive of UKLFI, said:
“We welcome reports that the Home Office has taken seriously concerns regarding public statements made by these individuals. UKLFI’s role was simply to place relevant publicly available material before the authorities and ask that it be assessed in accordance with the applicable law and policy. Decisions on entry to the United Kingdom are, of course, matters for the Home Office alone.”