Hasan Piker sharply criticized London's SXSW festival on Monday for failing to defend him and his uncle, Cenk Uygur, after they were banned from entering the UK over their previous criticism of Israel.
«"SXSW was a minor part of my UK trip," Piker wrote on Monday. "They didn't protect me or Cenk at all, they're absolute fucking losers, and I'll never work with them again. If you bought a ticket expecting to see me, you should demand a refund.".
The Austin, Texas-based arts and culture festival, which opens Monday for the second year in a row in London, was scheduled to feature Piker in conversation with British journalist and libertarian communist political activist Ash Sarkar this week.
A representative for SXSW London said in a statement regarding Picker's ban from UK events that he "will therefore not be participating in this year's SXSW London program.".
«"Decisions about entry into the UK are made by the Home Office and stakeholders," the statement reads. "SXSW London's role is to bring together a diverse range of voices and perspectives. We remain focused on delivering a program this week that fosters open dialogue and the exchange of ideas, featuring over 800 speakers, artists, and screenings.".
In a separate video on his Twitch page, Piker further criticized the festival, calling SXSW's statement "disgusting.".
«"They're not paying me for this, are they? SXSW isn't paying me for this, are they? It's just insane. I'm doing this as a favor, and they're literally soliciting donations using my image and my likeness," he said. "And it's just unbelievable that after the Home Office stepped in and cancelled my visa, after the Home Office stepped in and cancelled my visa, SXSW's statement was appalling. It was literally nothing.".
«"They basically told us, 'Sorry, we have to comply with the government's demands.' That was the first thing. And then they just deleted my page with information about myself. They just deleted my page with information about my performance.".
Piker's statement against the festival came after journalist Sarkar withdrew from the festival in solidarity. She was scheduled to chair a panel discussion at SXSW and moderate a panel titled "Ctrl, Alt, Delusion: Resetting Reality in the Manosphere." On Monday, she called on SXSW to hold the discussion with Piker remotely, despite his visa ban. When the festival canceled the panel entirely, she withdrew.
«"I have withdrawn from SXSW London, and I hope other speakers and chairs will do the same," Sarkar wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of the email she sent to the festival's organizers.
«"After reading SXSW's statement that Hasan and Cenk have been denied entry to the UK, I'm afraid I'll have to withdraw," she wrote. "If I were them, I'd hope that any organization that invited me to speak and whose program was disrupted by the Home Office would have shown at least the minimum expected integrity by standing up for legitimate freedom of expression and condemning government abuse of power.".
In a statement on Monday, the Home Office explained that the decision to block visas for Jenk and Piker was based "on the grounds that their presence in the UK may not contribute to the public good. Decisions to refuse or revoke electronic entry clearance on these grounds are made solely based on an assessment of the potential risk an individual may pose to the UK public.".
On Sunday, Cenk and Piker said their UK visas had been cancelled because of previous statements against Israel.
«"I've been banned from entering the UK," Cenk wrote on X. "I was trying to board a flight to London to attend SXSW London and give a talk at Oxford. I was banned for criticizing Israel. Are we even free anymore? This is the oppression of Western citizens by our own governments on behalf of another country!"»
«"The UK also cancelled my visa," he wrote at the time, quoting his uncle's tweet. "All at Israel's behest. The West is betraying 'liberal values' for a genocidal fascist foreign government. Soon we will all be Israel.".
The article, titled "Hassan Picker slams London's SXSW's 'disgusting' response to U.K. ban, while another speaker pulls out in solidarity," first appeared on TheWrap.