Climate academic Andreas Malm barred from entering UK

newsOct 30, 2026191,019

Swedish climate academic Andreas Malm was barred from entering the UK after immigration officials told him his presence “may not be considered to be conducive to the public good.” Malm, an associate professor of human ecology at Lund University and author of How to Blow Up a Pipeline, had been due to headline a Tribune magazine conference in London alongside Huda Ammori, a co-founder of the proscribed group Palestine Action, to discuss the government ban on that group. The event was timed to coincide with the start of a supreme court challenge to the Palestine Action proscription next Wednesday. While in London Malm was also scheduled to be interviewed for BBC Radio 4’s Radical With Gabriel Gatehouse programme. Sally Rooney, who has withdrawn her books from sale in the UK over her support for Palestine Action, called the ban “a sad and frightening act of cultural self-harm.” Tribune editor Oliver Eagleton said Malm was being “censored for speaking out about censorship” and blamed the Burnham government. The Guardian notes earlier this year the US commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker were also barred from the UK on the same public good grounds.

George Monbiot

@georgemonbiot.bsky.social

This is yet another disgraceful attempt by the British government to suppress free speech. Those who contest the genocide in Gaza are treated as threats to the public realm, while those who prosecute, aid and abet it are welcomed with open arms. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

5534h ago

George Monbiot30

I disagree with some of what he says. But I defend his right to say it. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

WheresMyCake9

Worth reading.. and if you agree, then please support it. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/78...

Sophie Mac6

He represents all the things authoritarian Labour doesn't like. He supports direct action protest, he's a Marxist, he's pro-Palestine. If anything screams we're living in an authoritarian regime banning him from coming here is it

Just_LookingK3

With respect; I wanna know more about him before offering opinion 🤔 whoTF is he? Seems rather orchestrated... perhaps even by malign entities 🤔✌🏻i'd wager that the Security services think similarly.... not all is as it seems.

[email protected]3

Free speech but only if you agree with the government!

Jo1

The British gov recognises the threat to itself of those protesting against genocide, because g was always going to be the natural climax of giving away Palestine under its mandate to 10% of the pop under Balfours dec. Britains active participation increases its legal & financial liability daily!

Quoting this

Left Outside48

If you write a book called how to blow up a pipeline about why people should do terrorism to energy infrastructure and are going to speak at an event about a group (stupidly imo) proscribed for terrorism offences just like those you recommend I do see why the home office might say that.

Elizabeth Taylor7

The government looks like fools once again. And I should add do they understand Zoom exists? This guy saying it on a livestream is going to reach more people than he’ll reach at an event

Kate Watson6

So the Home Office can keep this chap out but not Cofnas?

Legal C5

I will always be a strong advocate of both free speech and environmental campaigning. But I am not sure I welcome the author of “how to blow up a pipeline”.

Prof Julia Steinberger 🌹🌱🌍 #ClimateAction #Fightfascism

@jksteinberger.bsky.social

Full solidarity with colleague Prof Andreas Malm, banned from entering the UK for siding with Palestine Action. This is outrageous. He is one of the best and most principled academics. @andyburnham.bsky.social please reverse immediately. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

1444h ago

Prof Julia Steinberger 🌹🌱🌍 #ClimateAction #Fightfascism17

I stand with both Palestine Action and Andreas.

Matthew Gyamtso (Jee)4

This is truly shocking. The UK govt are out of line with public opinion over both issues of genocide in Gaza and climate action.

Quoting this

Dr Alan Nixon3

#Fascism by @andyburnham.bsky.social and #UK #Labour.

Netpol

@netpol.org

The writer and academic Andreas Malm was barred by the UK government from entry into Britain – in case you were wondering if anything has genuinely changed in the states's desperate attempts to crush Palestine solidarity since Burnham became PM www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10...

684h ago

Sneha Krishnan

@snehakrishnan.bsky.social

Andreas Malm has been barred from entering the UK because of his advocacy for Palestinian liberation, whilst we’re told that it would violate Cofnas’s free speech to prevent him making unfounded race scientist claims about Black intelligence. Free speech for thee, Home Office silo for me.

573h ago

Adam Ramsay

@adamramsay.bsky.social

Andreas Malm is a prominent academic at one of the top universities in the world. He was due to appear on Radio 4. This is an absolutely extraordinary attack on feee speech from Andy Burnham’s government: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

373h ago

Quoting this

saudades3

adoration of israels genocide of the Palestinians is really the rosetta to understanding the inversion of the entire western liberal hegemony of the 20th century, just insane

Rosaleen Duffy2

And in today’s news I wake up to being appalled and hugely embarrassed by a Government decision….again ⬇️

Caspar Henderson2

“One was under the impression that the Burnham government had slightly more respect for the basic notions of freedom of expression and other democratic rights…”

Priyamvada Gopal

@priyamvadagopal.bsky.social

The banning of Swedish academic Andreas Malm from entering the UK is a deeply dangerous decision by the Home Office, signifies a further degradation of academic freedom & speech on Palestine specifically. Stand up against it. I don't agree with Malm on all things but that is neither here nor there

423h ago

Martin O'Neill

@martinoneill.bsky.social

The Burnham government is doubling down on this incontinent authoritarianism we saw under Starmer. We are now at the stage when academic speakers are being banned from coming to Britain to speak about *free speech*. This isn’t normal, and it isn’t ok. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

213h ago

Nate O

@nateo.bsky.social

Author Sally Rooney can't sell her books in the UK, academic Andreas Malm can't enter the UK, but there's nary a peep over Dame Claire Fox's prominent conference, Battle of Ideas, attended by many MPs, with a single bookstall from Oldspeak, a bookshop that almost exclusively sells fascist propaganda

282h ago

Des Fitzgerald

@desfitzgerald.bsky.social

So, Andreas Malm has been barred from entering the UK to speak at a conference in the same week that Oriel College says it has a statutory obligation to provide a platform to "race realist" Nathan Cofnas?

163h ago

Wim Carton

@wimcarton.bsky.social

I'm appalled that the UK government barred Andreas from travelling to the country next week. This is the same attack on freedom of speech that we have seen under the Trump administration, which banned Andreas from entering the US last year. My full solidarity with Andreas and Palestine Action 🍉✊

103h ago

Chris Bertram

@crookedfootball.bsky.social

He was due to speak at an event about threats to free speech in the UK, but the Burnham goverment has prevented him from speaking by refusing him entry

53h ago

Mike Bailey

@linusd.bsky.social

Mahmoud’s reign of terror over free speech digs in deeper. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

93h ago

Jane Tynan

@janeym.bsky.social

Rounding up those who speak up for Palestine turns out to be an effective strategy for punishing critics of extractive capitalism www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

44h ago