Very few guest speakers would dare criticize the major conference hosting them from its own podium. But that’s why I invited Piers Morgan to these things.
Arguably the biggest news of the second annual SXSW in London was the cancellation of talks by Cenk Uyghur, 56, founder and host of the left-wing US media outlet Young Turks, as well as his nephew, progressive Twitch streamer Hasan Peker, 34, who has nearly three million followers on the platform. The speakers were invited by the UK branch of the long-running Austin festival (owned by Penske Media, which owns… Hollywood Reporter) only to discover that Interior Minister Shabana Mahmoud banned them from entering the country. The reason given by the Home Office for canceling their electronic travel authorizations, or ETAs? And that their presence “may not be in the public interest.”
Both men have been highly critical of Israel and have at times taken highly controversial positions – especially Baker, who has expressed support for Hamas.
Now, instead of the SXSW talks in London, Uygur and Becker will speak virtually at the Oxford Union, a debate society they were also planning to attend during their trip to the UK, on Friday.
At his hearing Thursday afternoon, Morgan was quick to come out on behalf of Uygur, a regular guest on Morgan’s YouTube show, Piers Morgan Uncensored.
Morgan said: “The Oxford Union was quick to defend it but this organization did not, and I am a bit disappointed by that, but I am using my right to freedom of expression to say that at their event.” He added that he felt that UK citizens should “stand up at the national level and demand that debate be allowed in the country… and express themselves in a free and democratic way, if we believe ours is a free and democratic country.”
He continued: “But the other problem in the modern world is that everyone is terrified of expressing their opinions, and I am not surprised that when someone is at LAX trying to get on a plane to attend a debate here, they are prevented from coming to express their opinions in a free and democratic country.”
Although Uighur was not given an official reason for his visa cancellation, Morgan said he was sure he knew why.
“It was actually because he was very critical of the Israeli government,” Morgan said. “Well, so will I. Will I be allowed to return to Britain? Will you all race to defend me? Will there be a campaign to bring me back to Britain, or will you all celebrate my death?”
Supervisor, Delivery timeJake Kanter, international investigations editor at SXSW London, noted that the decision to cancel the Uighur-Pecker talks was based on a decision outside their control made by the Home Office.
“Sure,” Morgan said. “But they could have made a case that he should be allowed in.”
The audience applauded in agreement.
Morgan himself has been at the center of much controversy over the war in Gaza, particularly for the harsh criticism he received for beginning every interview with a Palestinian guest with the question: “Do you condemn Hamas?” He has since spoken out about the suffering of people in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli government, and said he chose that controversial editorial as a way to spark real debate.
The morning before Morgan spoke, Uygur appeared on Sky News and described the British government’s ban as “Kafkaesque” and “Orwellian.”
“Why is your government, as well as my government in America, so obsessed with this little country and whether their feelings have been hurt?” Uyghur asked on TV. “What about the feelings of the Palestinians or the Lebanese who are under Israeli invasion now or Iran who are under attack by Israel now? Aren’t we concerned about their feelings?”
Morgan’s episode on Thursday was titled “Titles and Harmonies” and included a discussion on managing one’s public image with Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins.
Among other hot takes from Morgan, he declared that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had no right to complain about invasion of privacy when the Duchess of Sussex recently posted photos on Instagram for their 5-year-old daughter Lilibet’s birthday. He also described artificial intelligence as an “incredibly wonderful journalistic tool”, noting his fears that it would become too intelligent.
“This was a shameful incident, just as bad, in my opinion, as what happened to George Floyd,” Morgan said. “And I think this kind of double standard by politicians angers a lot of people in this country, and I don’t think we need to label them all as right-wing extremists or lunatics or ghouls or hooligans.”
