UK denies entry to Swedish author for London speech

The United Kingdom government has barred Swedish author and climate activist Andreas Malm from entering the country. Immigration officials turned him away shortly before he was scheduled to speak in London. They told him that his presence may not be considered conducive to the public good. Officials provided no additional evidence or explanation for the decision.

Malm was due to address an audience next week at an event titled Washington’s global reign of terror and Britain’s role in reinforcing it. The gathering was organized by the left-wing publication Tribune. He was set to appear alongside Huda Ammori, a co-founder of the group Palestine Action. The British government has proscribed Palestine Action over its anti-genocide activism.

The ban represents the latest step in a series of restrictions by the Labour government on speakers who criticize British support for Israel. Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s administration has maintained a firm stance on the conflict. This approach follows the resignation of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July. Starmer had previously stated that Israel had the right to cut off power, food, and water to ordinary Palestinians in Gaza at the start of the conflict in 2023.

Malm described the exclusion as scandalous. He noted that he has traveled to the UK for decades to conduct archival research for his PhD dissertation and lecture at numerous universities. He said he was deeply dismayed by the sudden nature of the ban. Malm appealed for the decision to be overturned, expressing disappointment that the Burnham government seemed to lack respect for basic notions of freedom of expression and democratic rights.

Verso Books, the publisher of several of Malm’s works in Britain, condemned the move. The company stated that it was shocked and disturbed by the government’s decision. Verso noted that in its more than 55 years of publishing, no British government had previously revoked the right of one of its authors to enter the country. The publisher argued that only a weak and cowardly government would seek to curb dissent in this manner.

Oliver Eagleton, the editor of Tribune, called the government’s censorship of a speaker at an event about censorship deeply disturbing. He stated that in this new political climate, authors and academics are increasingly treated as terrorists for supporting Palestinians facing genocide. Eagleton criticized the continuation of authoritarian overreach previously seen under the Starmer government.

The event was planned to cover freedom of speech, the banning of Palestine Action, and the effective ban on books by author Sally Rooney. Rooney’s books faced restrictions due to her support for the group. Burnham has sought to distance his leadership from Starmer’s policies. In July, Burnham apologized for the Labour Party’s initial response to the treatment of Gaza, acknowledging that the party got it wrong.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described Israeli actions in the occupied West Bank as ethnic cleansing in September. In an October interview, he admitted that the previous government was too reticent to call out what the Israeli government was doing and too cautious in its response. Despite these shifts in rhetoric, Labour leaders, including Burnham, have refused to accept that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This stance persists despite consensus verdicts from the United Nations, genocide experts, and international human rights groups.

Malm’s exclusion follows earlier bans on other pro-Palestine speakers during the Starmer era, including Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur. The current administration has continued this trend of restricting entry for certain voices. The lack of specific evidence for Malm’s ban has drawn criticism from publishing houses and political commentators. The situation highlights the ongoing tension between the government’s foreign policy and its domestic approach to free speech.