UK Immigration Blocks Swedish Academic Ahead of London Speech

Swedish academic Andreas Malm was turned away at a UK border checkpoint this week. He was scheduled to speak in London next week. His exclusion prevents him from attending a pro-Palestine event. The move marks the latest instance of the current government restricting speakers critical of British support for Israel.

Immigration officials cited Malm's presence as not being conducive to the public good. They provided no further evidence or detailed explanation for the refusal. The decision was issued by the administration of Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Malm is an associate professor of human ecology at Lund University.

Malm planned to address a gathering titled Washington’s global reign of terror and Britain’s role in reinforcing it. The event was to be hosted by the left-wing publication Tribune. He was to appear alongside Huda Ammori. Ammori is a co-founder of Palestine Action, a group that the British government has proscribed due to its anti-genocide activism.

In a statement, Malm called the decision scandalous. He noted that he has traveled to the UK for decades. He used the country for archival research for his PhD and lectured at numerous universities. He said he had believed the current government respected basic notions of freedom of expression and democratic rights. He appealed for the decision to be overturned.

Verso Books, a London-based publisher, condemned the ban. The firm has published several of Malm’s works in Britain. In a statement, the publisher said it was shocked and disturbed by the government’s move. It noted that in over 55 years of publishing, no British government had previously revoked the right of one of its authors to enter the country. The publisher described the administration as weak and cowardly for seeking to curb dissent.

Oliver Eagleton, editor of Tribune, called the government’s censorship deeply disturbing. He pointed out the irony of banning a speaker at an event about censorship. The discussion was planned to cover freedom of speech and the banning of Palestine Action. It would also have addressed the effective ban on books by author Sally Rooney, who supports the group.

Eagleton stated that authors and academics are now treated as terrorists for supporting Palestinians facing genocide. He argued that this reflects a new dystopian Britain. He said the current government continues the authoritarian overreach seen under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Starmer resigned from the post in July.

Burnham has tried to distance his government from Starmer’s approach to the conflict. At the start of the war in Gaza in 2023, Starmer said Israel had the right to cut off power, food, and water to Palestinians. His government refused to back a ceasefire call for nearly five months. During that period, tens of thousands of Palestinians were killed. The government continued selling arms to Israel as evidence of war crimes mounted.

In July, Burnham stated that Labour’s initial response to the treatment of Gaza caused huge hurt. He said the party got it wrong and apologized. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described Israeli actions in the occupied West Bank as ethnic cleansing in September. In an October interview, Miliband admitted the previous government was too reticent and cautious in calling out the Israeli government.

Malm’s exclusion follows similar bans on pro-Palestine speakers earlier this year. Those bans included journalist Hasan Piker and media personality Cenk Uygur. Labour leaders, including Burnham, have refused to accept that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This stance contrasts with the consensus verdicts of the UN, genocide experts, and international human rights groups.