Keep Him Out: British Jewish Groups Demand Ban on Far-Left American Streamer Hasan Piker

UK Jewish groups have called on the government to prevent far-left US streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker from entering the country ahead of a planned public event in June.

Piker is due to appear at an event for UnHerd magazine alongside economist Yanis Varoufakis and former Financial Times associate editor Wolfgang Munchau. The event was described as a live recording of the Econoclasts podcast, with Varoufakis and Munchau expected to discuss the rise of the online left in the United States and beyond.

The call to bar Piker comes amid growing scrutiny of his record of comments on Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah and Jews. Jewish groups cited remarks in which Piker described allegations of sexual violence committed during the October 7 massacre as “rape fantasies,” and later said that whether rapes occurred on October 7 did not change his view of what he called “Palestinian resistance.”

Piker has also said that “Hamas is a thousand times better than Israel,” described the terrorist group as a “militant resistance” made up of “orphaned soldiers,” and said he would vote for Hamas over Israel. Hamas is proscribed as a terrorist organization in the UK.

He has also made comments about Hezbollah, saying he had no issue with the group as a form of militancy against Israel, and has praised the Hezbollah flag. Hezbollah is also proscribed as a terrorist organization in the UK.

The Community Security Trust said Piker has “a record of promoting rhetoric that includes antisemitic themes, denial of well documented atrocities and apparent support for extremist groups.”

“This is entirely unacceptable, particularly given his large online following,” CST said. “At a time of record levels of antisemitism in the UK, it is vital that all institutions, including event organisers, act responsibly and consider the potential impact of this kind of rhetoric.”

The Jewish Leadership Council also called for Piker to be denied entry, saying he should not be allowed to bring “7 October denialism and apparent support for terrorist organisations” to a British audience.

“In a climate where Jews are being stabbed on the streets of London, this rhetoric is dangerous,” the JLC said. “This is not conducive to the public good and the government should ban him.”

The Anti-Defamation League has previously criticized Piker, saying his record of support for designated terrorist organizations and derogatory rhetoric about Jews presents a dangerous pattern amplified by his large following.