An electronic travel authorisation granting a Swedish academic entry to the United Kingdom was revoked on Wednesday by the Home Office, which stated that Andreas Malm’s presence in the country is not considered conducive to the public good. Al Jazeera reported that the cancellation arrived just one week before Malm was scheduled to appear in London on a panel organized by the British socialist magazine Tribune.
The panel, slated for Wednesday evening, features Huda Ammori, cofounder of Palestine Action—a group proscribed as a “terrorist” group by the UK—and will be chaired by Hala Hanina of Palestine Deep Dive. Malm, a climate activist, author, and human ecology professor at Lund University in Sweden, told Al Jazeera that he believes his travel authorization was specifically revoked because of his scheduled appearance alongside Ammori.
The Mechanics of a Sudden Travel Ban
Malm routinely travels to the UK and utilized an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) during a visit in May, which allowed him to travel to the country again later in the year without seeking reauthorisation. He noted that he had received no prior warning from immigration officials before receiving an email on Wednesday confirming the revocation.
Swedish academic Andreas Malm has been denied entry to the UK over his plans to appear on a panel alongside Palestine Action cofounder Huda Ammori because the gov't says his “presence in the UK is not considered to be conducive to the public good”.🔗: https://t.co/nry2Jcv65E pic.twitter.com/ZYkk64wX33
The Home Office informed Malm that he must now apply for a standard visitor visa to enter the country, a process that would require a detailed review of his personal circumstances. However, government guidelines stipulate a standard processing window of three weeks for visitor visas, making it impossible for the author of How to Blow Up a Pipeline: Learning to Fight in a World on Fire and The Destruction of Palestine Is the Destruction of the Earth to secure documentation in time for the scheduled discussion.
The justification deployed by the Home Office mirrors the rationale used in June to cancel the ETAs of American commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur under the previous administration of Keir Starmer. Legal representatives told Tribune that revoking the ETA effectively serves as a ban from entry.
Political Condemnation and Free Speech Concerns
The decision drew swift criticism from political figures and authors. Tribune editor Oliver Eagleton argued that Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s administration is perpetuating authoritarianism, treating authors and academics as security threats. Jeremy Corbyn characterized the move as absurd and outrageous, asserting that the government aims to silence criticism of Israel and mask its own complicity.
Lawmakers and commentators emphasized the broader effect on democratic discourse. Labour MP Clive Lewis challenged the government to produce evidence if it views Malm as dangerous, describing the ban as political censorship disguised as public safety. Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis echoed those sentiments, accusing the current prime minister of acting with the same authoritarian inflexibility as the man he replaced.
Jewish News highlighted that Malm’s planned London appearance coincides with an upcoming legal challenge in the Supreme Court regarding the proscription of Palestine Action. Irish novelist Sally Rooney, whose books were withdrawn from sale in the UK due to her public support for the group, condemned the entry denial as a frightening act of cultural self-harm directed against a respected climate expert.
Broader Crackdown on Pro-Palestine Activism
More than 3,850 individuals have faced arrest for publicly endorsing Palestine Action since the group was banned. Malm described the administrative action as a dangerous drift toward authoritarianism rooted in guilt by association. With the Home Office declining to comment on individual cases, travelers from countries including those in Europe, the United States, and Canada who rely on digital border clearances face uncertainty regarding policy shifts at the UK border.
