SXSW London Loses Earl Sweatshirt To Injury, Hasan Piker & Cenk Uygur To UK Entry Ban

Yikes! SXSW London kicks off today, and it is not going great. The multi-faceted festival lost Earl Sweatshirt due to an injury, and political commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur won't be there either because of a UK entry ban.

The Chicago rapper will be replaced by MIKE. "We're very sorry to share that Earl Sweatshirt has met with an accident and is no longer able to perform at SXSW London," the festival's statement read. "We're sad that we won't be able to welcome him to London this year, and we know that this will be disappointing to fans. His wellbeing must come first. Earl was due to perform as part of a wider Showcase at Shoreditch Town Hall on Tuesday evening. American rapper and collaborator MIKE will perform in his place."

As for Piker and Uygur, things are messier. The left-wing media personalities had their visas revoked "on the grounds that their presence in the U.K. may not be conducive to the public good. Decisions to refuse or cancel an ETA on these grounds are based solely on an assessment of the potential risk an individual may pose to U.K. society," reps for the Home Office told Variety.

On X, Uygur wrote, "I've been banned from the UK. I tried to get on a flight to London to attend SXSW London and give a speech at Oxford. I've been banned for criticizing Israel. Are we free anymore? This is oppression of Western citizens by our own governments on behalf of a different country!"

Piker quote-tweeted, writing, "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." He also called out SXSW for not coming to his aid: "sxsw was a minor part of my trip to the uk, they totally didn’t defend me or cenk at all, they’re actual fucking losers and i will never work with them for the rest of my life. if you bought a ticket expecting to see me you should demand a refund."

A spokesperson for SXSW London said:

We are aware that Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker are unable to travel to the UK following a decision by the Home Office. They will therefore not be participating in the SXSW London programme this year. Decisions on entry to the UK are a matter for the Home Office and the individuals concerned. SXSW London’s role is to convene a broad range of diverse voices and perspectives. We remain focused on delivering a programme this week fostering open dialogue and exchange of ideas and featuring more than 800 speakers, artists and screenings.