SXSW festival slammed for not defending Piker and Uygur after UK ban
SXSW festival slammed for not defending Piker and Uygur after UK ban Submitted by Imran Mulla on Tue, 06/02/2026 - 12:14 Speakers have begun pulling out of the major cultural festival in London, accusing it of not supporting free speech King Charles visits last year's SXSW London on 5 June, 2025 (Screengrab/X) Off The SXSW London festival has been slammed for failing to defend American political commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker after the British government banned them from entering the country to speak at the event. Piker called SXSW "actual fucking losers", and some speakers have dropped out in protest over what they say is SXSW's failure to stand up for free speech. The two were scheduled to speak at the Oxford Union and SXSW London, a major cultural festival.
