SXSW slammed for 'nothing' response to ban

South by Southwest (SXSW) is facing backlash after the UK government banned two left-wing Americans from entering the UK. The men in question were Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and progressive news anchor Cenk Uygur. And while Keir Starmer’s government is attracting most of the backlash, it isn’t the only entity being panned right now:

This is such a pitiful statement by SXSW https://t.co/RGGG1XL5RJ

— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) June 1, 2026

The backlash to SXSW

SXSW is a multimedia festival. In its own words, SXSW:

is best known for its conferences and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture.

During his stay in Britain, Piker was due to speak at SXSW London. As Aftermath’s Nathan Grayson commented:

in response to @hasanthehun’s uk ban ahead of a speaking engagement at sxsw london, the organization has resolutely failed to take a stand. now some speakers are pulling out https://t.co/olH9LOf9W9 pic.twitter.com/SQp04XTU61

— Nathan Grayson (@Vahn16) June 1, 2026

The statement from SXSW London read:

Decisions on entry to the U.K. are a matter for the Home Office and the individuals concerned. SXSW London’s role is to convene a broad range of diverse voices and perspectives. We remain focused on delivering a programme this week fostering open dialogue and exchange of ideas and featuring more than 800 speakers, artists and screenings.

Piker and Novara‘s Ash Sarkar responded as follows:

I pulled out of SXSW London, and I hope other speakers and chairs do too. https://t.co/qonIjztPFu pic.twitter.com/S8vmFKjRS7

— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) June 1, 2026

Piker also said:

They had asked me and I was doing it as a f’in favor to SXSW bc some friends that I trust wanted me to do it..I’m not getting paid..doing this as a favor and they’re literally farming donations off of my image, off of my likeness”

Statement was disgusting..they just deleted my speaker page..they hit me with the Trotsky cut..I couldn’t believe it, it’s like b*tch who tf are u..seriously, I’m doing this sh*t as a favor, they get to literally farm tickets off of my likeness..I even set up the talk myself”

I genuinely am shocked that SXSW didn’t even say like this is a real clear cut violation of the spirit of free speech.

There may be a reason why SXSW failed to do this, as independent journalist Matt Kennard noted:

Funders of SXSW London include KPMG, Deloitte, Pepsi, Uber and the UK government itself

— Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) June 1, 2026

Given that SXSW has literally taken government sponsorship money, it’s unsurprising that the festival would want to avoid upsetting Starmer. This isn’t a defence, by the way; we’re saying that any festival which seeks to explore ideas shouldn’t take money from governments which seek to stifle them.

The Streisand Effect

While the festival failed to defend Piker, the Oxford Union stepped up:

The Oxford Union intended to host Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker on 6 June for a discussion and Head-to-Head event with our members.

We are deeply concerned by the revocation of both speakers’ Electronic Travel Authorisations on the basis that their appearances would not be “conducive to public good”. These events had been publicly announced for months. This event-hour call signals much more than democratic decline – it is a direct threat to free expression.

The Oxford Union was founded on one principle: that ideas are challenged through debate, not silenced by decree. We have never turned a speaker away because of their political beliefs nor have we sought a permission slip from the state. We will not start now.

This event will not be cancelled. The Union will ensure this discussion takes place. Free speech does not require a visa.

We will update our members shortly.

Given the controversy, the speeches will attract significantly more attention than they otherwise would have done. This is what’s known as the ‘Streisand Effect’ – i.e. a situation in which attempting to draw attention away from something only amplifies people’s interest.

It’s as the saying goes: