Swedish climate academic Andreas Malm says he has been barred from entering the UK

Summary

Swedish climate academic Andreas Malm, author of How to Blow Up a Pipeline, says he has been barred from entering the UK before a planned appearance alongside Huda Ammori, a co-founder of Palestine Action, a group the UK has proscribed as a terrorist organisation. Malm told the Financial Times that he believes the ban is over his pro-Palestinian views. The Guardian reports that immigration officials told him his presence may not be considered conducive to the public good, and he called the decision 'scandalous' and urged the government to reconsider. Middle East Eye, citing Al Jazeera, reports that the Home Office cancelled his Electronic Travel Authorisation on Wednesday on the same grounds. Malm was due to join a panel organised by the socialist magazine Tribune. In a Guardian letter, Dr Ahmad Elabbar calls the decision farcical and chilling, arguing it threatens academics working on urgent topics, and says he had recommended Malm and Wim Carton's book The Long Heat to his students.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   1 Nov 2026, 17:29 UTCSource ↗

   A letter from Dr Ahmad Elabbar says the decision to bar Andreas Malm from the UK is farcical and chilling, and that banning distinguished authors from reading lists adds to the strain on UK higher education.