Hasan Piker on Being Banned from U.K., Traveling to Cuba & Supporting Candidates Critical of Israel

The British government earlier this week barred left-wing political commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur from entering the U.K. ahead of several speaking events. The Home Office said it was canceling their travel permits because “their presence in the U.K. may not be conducive to the public good.” Piker and Uygur, who are related, are both outspoken in their criticism of Israel. While the government did not cite a specific reason for the ban, some lawmakers and pro-Israel groups had accused the two of promoting antisemitism, which they reject. “I find what the British government did here to be objectionable. I find it to be disgusting. I also find it to be terrifying,” Piker tells Democracy Now! “I think it’s a sign that we’re … headed down a very different — dare I say, fascist — direction in the Western world.” Piker also discusses his participation in a recent humanitarian mission to Cuba, for which he is reportedly under investigation by the Trump administration, and his support for progressive and antiwar candidates in this year’s midterm elections. “We don’t have a lot of time. Fascism is here,” Piker says.