Oxford Union president vows to platform Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur in defiance of UK ban

Oxford Union president vows to platform Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur in defiance of UK ban Submitted by Imran Mulla on Tue, 06/02/2026 - 11:00 'Free speech does not require a visa', said Arwa Elrayess, the Palestinian president of the prestigious student debating society Hasan Piker, a streamer and outspoken critic of Israel, addresses the Oxford Union in 2025 (Screengrab/X) Off The Oxford Union, former  British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan once proclaimed, is "the last bastion of free speech in the western world." That dramatic assertion has often been questioned, but today Macmillan's quote is proudly displayed outside the prestigious debating society's bar. The president of the Oxford Union this term, Arwa Elrayess, appears determined to live up to the claim. She has vowed to press ahead in allowing American political commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker to address the union over livestream after they were banned from entering Britain. Elrayess told Middle East Eye on Monday morning that "we will not allow this event to be shut down", issuing a serious rebuke to the British government.  Now MEE understands the event is set to proceed, with Uygur and Piker addressing Oxford students over livestream this Saturday 6 June. On Monday evening, Elrayess launched a passionate attack on the British government's decision to bar their entry, saying: "The Oxford Union was founded on one principle: that ideas are challenged through debate, not silenced by decree. 'Ridiculous': Social media reacts as Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur denied entry to UK Read More » "We have never turned a speaker away because of their political beliefs nor have w...

Original source: Middle East Eye