Hasan Piker found himself at the center of another political firestorm this weekend after revealing that he can no longer enter the United Kingdom. The Twitch star, better known online as HasanAbi, made the announcement during a livestream, surprising viewers who expected him to travel to the country for a series of public events.The development quickly exploded on social media where supporters and critics alike weighed in. What started as a conversation about travel restrictions quickly evolved into a broader debate about free speech, politics and growing tensions around international political commentary.
HasanAbi says UK visa cancelled before planned events
HasanAbi spoke to his audience on May 31 and said he recently discovered his UK visa was no longer valid. The streamer said the decision put at risk several commitments he had booked in the country, including appearances with high-profile political figures and a trip to the Oxford Union.He told viewers:“Well, I didn’t want to talk about it, but my visa has also been revoked. We just found out. So, yes, I will not be going as it stands currently; I don’t believe that I’ll be able to go to the United Kingdom this upcoming week. I don’t know who to reach out for this. I was supposed to do something with Yanis Varoufakis. Do something with Zack Polanski. Do something with Jeremy Corbyn. Do something at the Oxford Union. And now, the Labour Government has revoked our visas.“Shortly afterward, Hasan took to social media to share his frustration, arguing that Western governments were moving away from principles they often claim to defend.He wrote:“the uk has revoked my visa as well. all at the behest of israel. the west is betraying “liberal values” for a genocidal fascist foreign government. soon we will all become israel.”
HasanAbi calls UK visa decision a “sad state of affairs”
During the same broadcast, Hasan expanded on his reaction to the reported visa revocation and criticized what he viewed as political double standards.Addressing the situation, he said:“That’s a sad state of affairs, where, obviously, the interests of Israel take the highest priority. ‘Nick Shirley can go, though.’ Of course! Because Nick Shirley is a dog for the fascist state.”The streamer then delivered an even broader critique of political leadership in both the United Kingdom and the United States, stating:“We are in the 1930s era, where I think that the administrations in both the UK and the United States of America, regardless of their supposed ideological differences, are absolutely moving in as a uni-party, and things are going to get even worse from here on out. Straight up … fascism. That’s it. That’s it. Israel is a facsist country, and it gets to enforce its bidding upon other countries in an effort to abide by the wishes of a foreign country, like Israel. The Western liberal democracies that are supposed to protect and preserve speech, even if they don’t have the first ammendement like we do here in the United States of America, they’re supposed to have reason. Like, good reason. This is not one of them.”As of now, no official public statement explaining the reported visa decision has been released. Until more information emerges, the controversy is likely to remain a major topic across streaming communities and political circles online.
