Everything Is Content - Hasan Piker's UK Ban, Euphoria: Over For Good & Mr and Mrs Lipa

Episode Date: June 5, 2026

Hello EICornettos! It's been a hefty week in the world of pop culture, so grab a lolly and let's get into it.Oenone is away at a wedding... very unusual timing because Mr and Mrs Dua Lipa legally tied the knot last week. But the internet had some choice words about the singer's white suit. EIC Fashion Police LTD. are wading through the mess to share our searing hot takes for you.Ruchira did some on the ground reporting from SXSW, which hit headlines this week after speakers Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur were barred from entering the UK by the Home Office, who said their "presence would not be conducive to the public good". We dive into the difficult debate around free speech, authoritarianism and our fears of rising antisemitism.And finally Euphoria 3: Over For Good. Sam Levinson has done what he did, meaning EIC had to do what it does best. We gave our honest reviews and (of course) didn't hold back. Thank you for listening to us this week <3 love O,R,B --------This week Ruchira shared some thoughts from her time at SXSW. She also read The Lost World. Beth loved the incredible story of Tim Payne's rise to social media superstardom and Fruit Fly.(SXSW Talk) The Authoritarian Creep: How Far Right Rhetoric Impacts CultureFree speech activists condemn UK entry ban for Hasan Piker and Cenk UygurHasan Piker on antisemitism, America's support of Israel & the need for trust in mainstream mediaLabour MP Calls on Home Office to Ban Hasan Piker From the UKWhy ‘Euphoria’ Had to End This Way. For Good.The Mess Was the Point Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm Beth. I'm Ruchera. And this is Everything is content. You're one-stop shop for book recommendations, celebrity gossip, political analysis and piping hot takes. We're walking you down the altar of pop culture, wishing you along and happy life with the discourse. There is obviously an an ony-shaped hole in the podcast today. She's away at a wedding and we are feeling her absence. But don't worry, she'll be back next Friday as normal.

This week on the podcast, Europe's a week. largest LGBTQ plus music festival, Jue Leeper officially off the market, two leftist commentators band from entering the UK, and euphoria ending forever. Follow us on Instagram at Everything is ContentPod, and make sure you hit follow on your podcast player app so you never miss an episode.

And bonus one, please could you give us a lovely, lovely review? It makes our hearts swell. It really does. Routheria, it's going to have to be you that I pick on this week because there's no and only. What have you been loving this week? Okay, so the first thing that I'm bringing to the table is a little film called The House Maid, which stars Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seifred, as kind of warring, rich woman, wife and a new nanny who comes into the house.

It is such a trashy little thriller, but my God, it really satiated me for just that kind of laughing because it's so silly. thrilled because it's so mental type of film. Have you heard of this? I've heard of this. I've read some of the housemaid's books, which is why I know in my heart that this film is coming for me. I don't know who I was saying it to the other day, but I know at some point I will sit down, I'll be scrolling through and I will go, it's time. Yeah. So you would recommend, do you think I would enjoy this? I think you would eat this up. It's a film not for the mind, but just the thrills and the body highs of it all, because it's just twist after. twist after twist in a way that you just have to laugh at. And I think sometimes a film like that

is just good for the soul. The book is also not for the mind. But funny enough, I was on holiday in America and I was like, I'm in the pool. I'm having a great time. I need something. I've read probably about three out of the possibly four series of these books. But I will say I was not reading every single page. If a page was boring, I went, I'll just skip that one. It's not all that. I was reading the way that apparently a lot of book talk reads, which is just get to a bit of dialogue, read that, skip to the next bit of dialogue. So I was guilty, but it's not, I mean, do you think that you would read the books after having seen the film?

Do you want to go into the universe? Maybe. And I only say this because I feel like I have to confess. I literally read the second installation of Jurassic Park last week because I was visiting my partner's family and they just had some random books around and I'd just finished Gem Calder's book. So I was lost for something to read and I picked it up.

It was the new world. and it was really fun to read something like that. So I kind of feel like now and again, yeah, why not? I'll dive in. Why not? I did not know Jurassic Park was a book series. Is that like the craziest thing I've ever said? No, I didn't know that either.

But it turns out the books are pretty enjoyable. I'm not going to lie. Maybe not literary fiction, but definitely a good hoot. I remember going around someone's house and must have been early secondary school and they had all the, they had Hollyoaks books. Stop. And it was just the storyline from Hollyoaks, but as books. That is so weird.

So this is what I'm imagining, like you reading, and it's mostly pictures of dinosaurs. Yeah, that's why I had such a good time. You know, sometimes you just need to not read. No, no, no. There was only a few pictures. Generally, there was only a few pictures. Oh, amazing. Okay, do you know what?

I know that the housemaid is coming for me. Did you watch it for free somewhere or will I have to hand it with some money? I did pay 350 for it, I'm afraid. So it might be. I could do that. It might be free by now. I watched it a few weeks ago. But yeah, I do think it's 350 well spent.

I will be honest with you. Sidney, she keeps reeling us back in for more. And we are going to talk about her later actually right at the end. Okay. Is that all you've been loving? So my second thing and we will come back to it later is I have been at South by Southwest Festival this week. And I'm sure most people are listening being like, what a stupid fucking recommendation the festival's gone now?

Like, what am I going to do with that? But the thing I was going to say is I've been feeling in such a creative rap for a while now. And you know when you live in a big city, a capital city, one of the things that I feel like I always thought was, I'm just going to go to so many talks. I'm just going to go to so many lectures. The world is my oyster. I've not been to a talk for maybe six years, genuinely. But being at the festival, I got a ticket through a friend. It was so stimulating and so creatively inspiring. I went to one talk, which was about finding your identity amidst algorithms and AI and kind of re-learning what you love and also what makes you individual and special. And there were

some nuggets that I thought I'd bring to the podcast just because if anyone else is feeling that way or they might get something from it, I know I would find that really valuable. Yes, me. I need it. Okay, so something that I found really reassuring is back in the day, maybe some of us would have a skill that we would define ourselves by one of the talkers gave the example of you're the person who makes really good brownies in the friendship group. But because of the internet now, that is no longer good enough.

You will always be confronted by somebody who is good enough to be a professional chef and it suddenly makes it really hard to feel like what you do is worthwhile or this skill you have is worthwhile because comparison is constant absolutely constant and it often stops us from even trying and i've definitely found that i've definitely found this paralyzing kind of feeling of well i know i'm not the best at this thing so it's kind of embarrassing to try but the problem is maybe lots of us are feeling like that and i think that can just stop us from creatively pushing ourselves or even just kind of being in the period of being a little bit shit or maybe not the best person that's but getting to the point of potentially being even better. So that was something that I really took on.

And something else I thought about was one of the talkers spoke about in her field. She's an entrepreneur. And she was saying that she was working in tech for 10 years. She'd never seen another black person in a company of 200 people and the weight of that on her. And what she's learned is to really trust in if a room or if a person energizes her, that is a good feeling and to really trust your bodily signals of what is a good space and what is something that fulfills you. And I feel like sometimes woo-woo-esque stuff really calls to me, but also at the heart of it it is just remembering that not all the work you do in your life is up in your brain and your thoughts. Sometimes your body can really give you a good indicator of, do you find this idea

really fulfilling? Are you inspired by it? Do you find these people make you feel safe and enough to be a creative person around them? If not, maybe your body's telling you something that you should be listening to and I definitely am really guilty of just ignoring the kind of anxiety that I feel in certain spaces, you know, having been in newsrooms that I used to get panic attacks in, just squashing that down. And I think I'm just growing up and learning. I've really ignored a lot of bodily signals about spaces that I would never be able to be my best or achieve my best because I was always feeling so unsafe in them. And then the third thing was, which I think is interesting, one of them spoke about when she suddenly started being attuned to things happening in her body, she suddenly realized there was

many messages coming to her about what she should be doing in life. And after this person said that, I suddenly started hearing the same thing over and over again and realizing I'd heard it for the last month, which was I need to figure out what makes me passionate. I need to align myself. And I've heard that message about four times in the last month from a therapist, from a tarot card reading, from this talk, from somebody else just in conversation. And I think that's the message that I've been ignoring for the last month on how to make myself feel more aligned to what I want to do in my life. Do you know what it reminds me of? It's like when you need to break up with someone and your body tells you long before your brain will accept it because your brain's like narrative.

Your brain trusts the story you've told it and the plans that you've made and it feels safe in those plans. But your body's like, I don't want to do this anymore, bro. I can't, you know, your nervous system is revolting. I mean, not disgusting. It's in revolt against you. And it's saying, I'm sorry, you're going to have to come around eventually. I think it's like that. And I do think I'm really glad you're taking so much away from South by Southwest because currently all the news is obviously focused around what we're going to talk about in time. Also focused around Sadie Khan debuting his bald head at South by Southwest. I saw someone say just in time of the Pitbull Concert in London. Oh my God. But actually I have forgotten in all of that, like the Malay, that there is a lot to be taken. So I'm so glad you're having a good time. And also that I can secondarily benefit from all of this wisdom that you're learning about. Yeah. Honestly, I've just, I've gone straight back to Wooo Land and now I'm just like spouting it. out all of the kind of mantras, but they are really helpful, I think.

I want to hear more about this tarot reading, though. Do you often go for tarot readings or was it a special occasion? No, so my friend did a tarot reading, and she does it now and again, and she's really good at it. And I also think, if you're ever feeling lost, I know tarot, astrology, all these things can be really polarising because not everyone is going to believe that some cards can provide you the wisdom of life itself. But what I find the really good for is it makes your own thoughts clearer.

about how you feel about something, because the minute somebody gives you a reference point and they say, oh, your future is looking uncertain. Something in your brain goes, I'm feeling uncertain about the future because, and you fill in the gap. And it kind of gets your thoughts into a tidy list of what you're actually feeling about something. And I guess it's just a kind of meditation, really. I agree. It's like you're just orienting around a single point. I was saying this to my dad the other day, if we let all of those men in Wall Street believe in the stock market and still do, I can have some crystals. And a little tarot reading. It's not hurting anyone, not at all.

Okay, I've spoken for way too long. What have you been loving this week? It's hard for an only, isn't it? You're just like, oh, God, the minute you stop talking, I'm like, I've got a talking again. It's so scary. So I've got two this week. One was a kind of feel good funny story and the other is book.

So, feel good funny story. I'll ask you, have you, have you, it seems like it's something that you might have heard of. Have you heard of this guy, Tim Payne? His name sounds really familiar. Yeah. Who is Tim Payne? It's a football story, if that makes it a little clearer. Okay, no, I'm lost.

Totally out of our usual remit, but it has delighted me a little bit anyway. So basically, Tim Payne is a defender from New Zealand. That's football, apparently. It was identified by this Argentinian football influencer as being the least well-known player who is going to the upcoming FIFA World Cup. That's rude. He looked all the players, looked, I know, isn't it? He looked all their following.

and he, Tim Payne had just under 5,000 followers. So this guy, he said, he is the least known player. He's from New Zealand. That's quite a way out. I don't know if they're really known for their football. I don't think they're terrible. But, you know, let's show him some love and raise his profile. Do you want to guess how many followers he has on Instagram at Time of Recording?

If it's something like anywhere between 500,000 to a million, I will scream. And how many? Richard, it's 4.3 million. What? I know. I was so shocked because my boyfriend was telling him about this and I went, that's a kind of funny, lovely story. I went on his, I thought I'd got the wrong guy,

but then he makes this little video in the cutest New Zealand accent speaking Spanish saying thank you to the followers and thank you to this Argentinian guy. It really made me feel good, even though obviously it's arbitrary and whatever. He must feel very special now, and now he's got 4.3 million followers.

Oh my God, okay, I need to get this guy to do it for me. Me next, yeah? I know, the least known, definitely the least known player if I went to the FIFA World Cup. Okay, the other thing that I have, after that feel good story, is a book called Fruitfly by Josh Silver, which was recommended to me by my brother-in-law, read it over the really hot bank holiday weekend, came on April, it's good.

Do you know what? I was going to say it's not a love, it's a really like, and actually I think it's all the same. I really enjoyed it. It's about this author called Mallory, who is really creatively blocked, had one best-selling, massive hit of a book, and then it just tapered off. She comes across, she's kind of, her husband is doing really, really well in TV, and He's like, you know, let's just have a baby. You're in your 30s.

Who needs it? She comes across some writing that says, if you want to make it big, if you want a bestseller in the 2020s, you have to meet your story gay. And so what she does is seek out this inspiration, like, in the form of a really troubled young local gay man.

And it's dark, it's satirical. I think fans of Alice Slater will really like this. I probably wouldn't read it again, but it's really good fun. I was like, it's propulsive. I wanted to see what happened. And it was dark, it was gritty, but it was also funny.

And I think often that's what you need. Yeah. So that is my book recommendation, Fruit Fly. I was like, Luke, why is it called Fruit Fly? And he was like, just think about it for a second. And I was like, oh, fruit fly. So women, it's kind of like fagg, women who orbit around fruity people. I was like, oh, I'd never heard that before.

But it does make instant. I don't know if it's less offensive. Sounds kind of more offensive, not what I'm saying it. But I thought the title was very clever. Yeah, coming out of your mouth, it's just so much more offensive. It was kind of a hate crime, I think. I apologise. That sounds really good.

Especially in June. I think you would enjoy it at the very least. I think the three of us would have a good giggle. So some weeks it feels like hard at anything happens and we're scrambling around for something to talk about. And then other weeks it is non-stop pop culture news, which is sort of what this week has felt like. So I think let's rattle through some headlines.

Okay. First up, Anna Kendrick is set to direct the film adaptation of Taylor Jenkins' reads bestselling novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. This is one of a few Jenkins reads that we can expect on both big and small screens in the coming years. So Carrie Soto is in development as a TV series with Netflix, and Malibu Rising is also being developed for TV by Hulu. So after teasing an announcement all of last week, Susan Boyle has released a single with Quarnetto Ice Creams. The track called Just One Cornetto Remaxed, Not Remixed, Remixed, Marks the launch of their new Cornetto Max range.

You can listen to it now on their social media. warning it is obviously terrible, absolutely terrible. Phoebe Bridges, who has spent the last month performing small intimate shows across America, announced a set at Madison Square Gardens earlier this week. Tickets to the gig, which by the time this episode airs will have already taken place last night, were randomly assigned to fans and cost just one dollar, with proceeds going to the Community Justice exchanges Immigration Bond Freedom Fund, which works to release people being held in immigration detention.

Charlie XX has announced a new full-length album called music fashion film, which will be released on July 24th. The cover art has caused some confusion, some delight, and surprise, surprise discourse. It features a black and white photograph of musician John Kale, designer Mark Jacobs and filmmaker Martin Scorsese. So Mighty Hoopler took place over the weekend, but Richard, it feels like the three of us sadly must have missed our VIP backstage invites in the post, which is a shame. It looks so good. So for anyone who doesn't know or hasn't been. Mighty Hoopla is Europe's largest LGBTQ plus music festival and a yearly outdoor event in London. It started its life in 2016 at Butlins in Bognor Regis and then moved to Victoria Park in 2017

before arriving in Brockwell Park in 2018. The lineup across the weekend was absolutely incredible. Lily Allen headlined on Saturday with her West End Girl album plus Jessie J. Emoneke, Talisa and Diana Vickers also performed. And on Sunday, Cisers. sisters closed out the festival with onstage guests including Kelly Osborne and Sir Ian McKellen plus performances from Alexandra Burke, Trixie Mattel, Estelle and singer and former loosewoman Jane McDonald who apparently dazzled in the gay icon slot. Can I just say when I was explaining this to my dad and I was like and Ian McKellen came out and he was like I think he's he came out a very long time ago and I was like ha ha ha ha ha ha very funny but I think I would have loved that I cannot

believe. I mean, have you ever been? I have never been and it's one of the biggest crimes I've committed to myself. I just, year after year, I see the line up and especially because they always have a slot for a real housewife who's pivoted to music, which is so silly, so funny. I just, I feel like it calls to me and yet I just have never been and I need to go. What about you? No, same as, obviously I was out of London this year, but what about all the years when I was living there. It's a festival my brother used to go. I mean, all the London gays of my life, they all go. Maybe I just felt I shouldn't have been there. But that's ridiculous. Because none of us were there, we also did have to ask you guys listening at home to be our hoopla reporters on the ground. So Ella said, reporting from my te hoopla. My first time there, the vibes immaculate, have to say, though, I don't think Lily Allen's Western girl translated to a festival setting. Some great throwbacks, though, including potential weekend favorite weekend 2.0, aka just two members from the wanted. Oh, that's funny. Some really interesting brand activations too, particularly Lidl.

A few people mentioned Lidl. I think once I went to a little wine tasting event in the Vauxhall Arches, I think it was, in the dark. In the dark? At Christmas. Yeah, it was totally dark, all your senses apart from your ability to drink their wine. And I had a fantastic, I came out absolutely pissed. I bet. So I can imagine that.

Rosalind said, Gareth Gates, boy band in the buff changed my life. Ooh. Neve said her faves were JLS's dance moves. still got it apparently and Heidi from Sugar Babes joining Appleton on stage and doing right round and again the little pop up my goodness I need to know what this pop up was like what what did it do because I love little and I do especially love little wines often they will do dupes of much more well-known wines truly a lot of like the wine accounts on Instagram will recommend a little wine now and again oh they're so good I'm just saying little send us a case my post box is wide open so

from happy news to sad news, condolences to boyfriends everywhere. But congratulations to Duleepin and Callum Turner, who got married on Sunday at London's old Marlaboon Town Hall in an intimate ceremony. Dewa and her new husband were pictured after their civil ceremony hand in hand on the steps of town hall. She in a custom white skirt suit by Chaparrelli, a wide-rimmed Stephen Jones hat and pointed white lubotone pumps. And he in a double-breasted navy suit, don't know any details about that. It's a suit, that's it really. The couple who began dating in early 2024 and announced their engagement in June of last year

will, according to reports, have their rumoured wedding in Palermo, Sicily. If the rumours are true, it'll be a three-day event and feature a second wedding dress designed by Jew's close friend, Jacamo. And the guest list will include Elton John, Charlie XX, Mark Ronson and Donatella Fiscii. Do you know what? I heard their real wedding is taking place very, very soon, Anoni is away at a wedding.

Do you think she's gone to Deleepa's real wedding and hasn't told us? If there's one person in my life who that would happen to, I would undoubtedly bet £100 on it being anoni. She has these, this like cachet of stories where she goes, did I not tell you about this? And then tell you this incredible, hilarious. And you're like, who else would that happen to? If she pops up in the background at their wedding,

well, I mean, all power to her. What did you think of Deer Leeper's dress? I mean, the skirt suit. I thought it was really cool. And I love the hats. much. I saw some discourse about underneath the kind of hip projections you could see some of the padding and people were being a bit salty about it not looking refined for that reason that you could see the padding underneath. I don't think that that's that big a deal. You know, when you get like a

moving shot, it's probably just like a weird angle and it probably lifted. I just think she looked insane. She looked so gorgeous. And I really love a town hall wedding with a suit. I think it's so chic. Well, do you know what? I'm going to try and find it now. There was, I think, Chaparilli released the details of the look and they mentioned something along the lines of like a blush lace trim Bustier or something and people going, well, maybe it was just that. Maybe it wasn't unintention because actually in some of the pictures that Julie Leeper herself posted in a little wedding dump, you can see it there as well. And I just don't think, I think someone would have edited the owl or not posted those ones if it was a mistake. I'm going

to trust Versace. I'm going to trust Chaparrelli. I'm going to trust anyone that was there addressing her, they wouldn't let her girl down like that. No, no way. These are the ultimate designers of our time. They would never. Never. She did look amazing. I mean, it's the kind of thing where I'm like, I can't get any ideas, because I know I would look like a bridal mistrunch ball. I just don't suit like skirt suits. She seems to be able to pull off absolutely anything on earth. And I'm not being salty. I did see someone a while ago tweet. Basically, they had to unfollow Doo Leper for their own mental health. I think it's so valid, actually. I think it's the only ethical way of being a hater,

being like your life looks too good. I can't. I can't. Like I think she's pretty good air-go, celebrity goes, but I, she does make me depressed. You know what? If I could have any celebrity's wardrobe, I forgot when we had this chat, I think maybe a year ago, but she genuinely, it's just hit after hit after hit. She never misses fashion-wise. And I think I would give up my soul, maybe, maybe to have three days in her wardrobe. But that's obviously a heavy deal. I think I'd do it, though. Yeah, I mean, she has never missed. Do you remember when she was, I think it was at Jacques Moos wedding and he had dressed her in this very sheer, like a bride or look like all white and everyone was like, you can't wear that to a wedding and you go,

the groom dressed her. I think he's okay with it. And I just, I think that's one of my favorite looks. And actually I would love to see a bride just come nips out, panty on show in a sheer Jacques Moe. I would, I mean, my brother and his partner are getting married next March. Maybe that is the, maybe that's the dress for me. I think you should do it. I think it's a bold move, but I think you should do it. So last week, the Labour MP for Hemelhamstead, David Taylor, called on the home office to revoke the visa of Hassan Piker, a left-wing political commentator and extremely popular Twitch streamer who was due to appear at South by Southwest Festival in London and the Oxford

Union. According to a piece in Nuvara, Taylor has a history of opposing pro-Palestinian voices. Last year, he objected to the renewal of Francesca Albanese's role as the special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories and labelled her anti-Semitic. And Taylor said of PICA, It's shocking that South by Southwest would invite someone who has openly supported a prescribed terrorist organisation

and spouted these kinds of vile anti-Semitic rants to speak at their festival. With the unacceptable rise in anti-Semitism on our streets, leaving British Jews in a constant state of anxiety, Hassan Pika is clearly not conducive to the public good. The Home Office must revoke his visa immediately. So Pika has around 11.3 million followers across his various social media platforms

and according to streams chart he was the fourth most watched live streamer in America in the first quarter of 2026 clocking 20.6 million hours watched between the start of January and the end of March. So in 2019, Hassan reportedly said on a stream that America deserved 9-11, a comment he later apologized for

and said was inappropriate. He has, however, stood by another comment he made on Pod Save America, where he said that Hamas was a thousand times better than Israel and that he would vote for Hamas over Israel every single time. On the 31st of May, Chenk Yuga, another US-based political commentator and the host of the Young Turks' online talk show and PICA's uncle tweeted, quote, I've been banned from the UK. I try to get on a flight to London to attend South by Southwest London and give a speech at Oxford.

I've been banned for criticising Israel. Are we free anymore? This is oppression of Western citizens by our own governments on behalf. of a different country. And PICA replied, quote, the UK has revoked my visa as well, all at the behest of Israel. The West is betraying liberal values for a genocidal fascist foreign government. Soon we will all become Israel. So we spoke about this on the podcast, but earlier this year, Yay, formerly known as Kanye West, applied for a travel visa to the UK to perform at Wireless Festival and had it denied after the home office deemed that his presence would not also be conducive to the public good. The rapper has faced a lot of criticism for his comments and behaviour in recent years. In 2022, he appeared on a podcast

hosted by Alex Jones and said, quote, I see good things about Hitler. And in May 2025, he released a song called Heil Hitler and sold t-shirts with swastikas on the front of them. In a live stream on Sunday evening, Piker said, it's a sad state of affairs where obviously the interests of Israel take highest priority. Israel advocacy organizations have unbelievable amounts of power over what even the United Kingdom has to say and do. If you're an avowed anti-Zionist, your travel will be restricted. So South by Southwest London did release the statement the following day, which read, We are aware that Chen Kuga and Hassan Paiqqa are unable to travel to the UK following

a decision by the Home Office. Decisions on entry to the UK are a matter for the Home Office and the individuals concerned. We remain focused on delivering a programme this week, fostering open dialogue and exchange of ideas featuring more than 800 speakers, artists and screenings. Piker then tweeted, South by Southwest was a minor part of my trip to the the UK, they totally didn't defend me or chenk at all, the actual fucking losers, and I will never work with them for the rest of my life. The journalist and political commentator Ash Sarkar, who was due to chair the discussion

with Hassan, pulled out in solidarity with the two men. She wrote of them, if I were in their shoes, I would hope that any organisation which invited me to speak and had their programming interfered with by the Home Office would have the minimal expected integrity to offer some defence of lawful, free expression and condemn government overreach. So I was planning to go to this talk and I saw the news on the day of, I think, when the talk was supposed to be going on. And I just, I was so shocked. I did not see this happening whatsoever. It, to me, came out of left field. But having read various discourse points from political commentators

and kind of sitting with it, it both feels so, it feels like the natural step for everything we've been seeing across the UK, you know, with the actions against Palestine action and branding it a terrorist organisation and the overreach when it comes to Palestinian protests and protests against the genocide in Israel. I just, I'm really, really worried about the state of the UK. I'm so in fear about what the future of protest, what the future of free speech looks like. And it's such a strange realm to find ourselves in. Because for the last five years, free speech, has been such a political football weaponised by the right to kind of present this idea of their own subjugation in the world. And now what we're seeing is so many of the left's talking points

and big core issues and now coming under the banner of literal subjugations of free speech. And Jeremy Corbyn put out a tweet, which I think is exactly how I feel. Banning Chenk Yuga and Hassan Piker from entering the UK is an absurd and cowardly decision from an increasingly authoritarian government. Let us call this what it is, an attack on the freedom to criticize Israel, as well as the UK government's own complicity in genocide. And the deeply ironic thing is,

on the day this happened, there was a talk called authoritarian creep. How do we fight that, essentially? And it had the head of Amnesty International, a senior at Chuselab, and this amazing filmmaker, who I will put in the show notes, and they were talking about the very real Western creep

of authoritarianism. And on that very day the UK government has stopped two people, two political commentators from entering the UK based on them not being a public good. It's really, really scary. What do you think? Yeah, I think on that, I also saw Zach Polansky on X described the decision as grim and he wrote, people often talk about the dangerous road. We'd go down under a reform government. This is another clear warning. We're already down there. A Labour government doing everything possible to silence criticism of the Israeli government. And I did rate the Oxford Union, so Hassan Piker, who's already done speeches at the Oxford Union, was due to go there as part of his trip over here. And their statement was much, it was something, because a South by Southwest,

it was completely toothless. It was nothing. They wrote, we are deeply concerned by the revocation of both speakers, electronic travel authorizations on the basis that their appearances would not be conducive to the public good. These events had been publicly announced for months. This 11th hour call signals much more than democratic decline. It is a direct threat to free expression. The Oxford Union was founded on one principle that ideas are challenged through debate, not silenced by decree. We have never turned a speaker away because of their political beliefs, nor have we sought a permission slip from the state. We will not start now.

And I think that is the only sensible line on this, in my opinion, I think. And Hassan actually spoke at the Oxford Union last year about the dangers of last year before, dangers of conflating Zionism and the actions of Israel with all Jewish people, which I do think is worth watching. Perhaps if you're just learning about this man and think, but you know, what is the truth? Where does he sit in terms of Israel and anti-Semitism and apartheid? It's only 20 minutes long and we can put it in the show notes, but I do think it is, it's a fear of ideas. I do not think there is a robust case, even if you really hate the man, that his, that there was anything potentially violent or inciting in his words or his actions, it feels just as suppression.

Yeah, I agree. And I'm so glad that you raised that point about the conflation of Jewish identity and Zionism, because I just listened to Politics Joe's episode on this. They were actually supposed to have Hassan Piker on their podcast as part of his UK trip. And so they also had that kind of double whammy of not only did they politically disagree with what's happened, but they also had this interview that just kind of has been scrapped because of it. And I really worry about the levels of anti-Semitism. in the UK. And I think a big driver of that is this constant conflation of Israel and Zionism and Jewish identity. And I think they put it perfectly on politics Joe, which is for people who are waking up to politics and really getting enlivened by issues and core issues in the world and global politics by what's happening in Gaza. And they feel really electrified by it. And that's kind of their entry point into activism, politics, challenging the status quo. I think this constant conflation of all of these things will be a very easy gateway into anti-Semitism because it's not separating them. It's not treating the issue with nuance or looking at it critically. It's just conflating

every Jewish person to Israel's actions. And that, I think, is anti-Semitic. That's deeply anti-Semitic. And I think that's the thing that will be causing so much of the kind of prejudice, bias, hatred towards Jewish people. And I really, really worry for them because it's coming from the top down. And something like this is only going to spur it on further. It's not conducive. to public good to then behave like this and to challenge people from speaking out about Israel, it's only going to fuel more anti-Semitism. And people have been comparing it to the Tommy Robinson March the United Kingdom March this year. And the Home Office also banned 10 people from entering the UK based on them not being conducive to public good. That is a line that Politics Joe said is

always used essentially by the Home Office when it cuts somebody from entering the UK based on being a high profile. And it's just kind of a generic line. They used it for Tyler the creator as well back when he was stopped from coming into the UK under Theresa May. Yeah, so I was reading about this, other case of this, and it was the right-wing commentator Valentina Gomez. She was one of the people that was banned from entering the UK by the Home Secretary, again on those grounds. And she was coming here to take part in the march, as you say, in May. The reason that she was banned was reports of her using inflammatory dehumanizing rhetoric around Muslims that could be interpreted as encouraging confrontation

and violence. She has, and then I'm quoting from the parliamentary motion here, a document pattern of directing abusive and Islamophobic language at Muslims in public life, including elected representatives, her dissemination of deliberately provocative material, including public desecration of the Quran. I believe she burned it in public on film. So following the ban, she called the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. And I, it's the kind of thing I don't want to repeat, but I do think it's important. She called her on camera a dirty Pakistani Muslim. I think there are fine lines for when this is government overreach and when this is interference and suppression and lines where you think this person has demonstrated in their actions, not just in

their words, that they do walk the walk and they are hateful and it is inciting. But of course, many people would say that it's exactly the same situation that it is suppression and that every time that the Home Office does this, they are silencing someone and that they are silencing free speech. I do just think it is case by case and Valentina Gomez is a particular case. Yeah, that's what I was going to say, I think conflating the two cases, I think I as an individual, cannot compare Hassan Piker to a woman like that. I'm sorry, I just cannot. I cannot, in good faith, even see how you could compare the two people as having the same impact.

And regardless of your opinions about free speech and whether the government should interfere or act in an authoritarian way in any instance, I do think the conflation of these two people and suggesting that they are of both equal impact is really dangerous. and what it indicates is a sliding of the scale towards what the government decides is impactful and dangerous and, you know, an issue for public good. And what it shows is that they can dictate the scale of that at any point. And if it is Hassan Piker now, who the hell could it be next year, you know? I just, I really worry about the impact about this. I'm really disappointed on a personal level because the talk he was meant to do was about how the American left have managed to capture the

zeitgeist on the internet. That is something we fucking need to talk about in the UK. because we're not doing it very well, you know, that's an issue that could be so beneficial for us and we are at loss of that thought by not having had the chance to listen to it. And I think it just, it all kind of feeds into the same thing, which is both Kirstama's government exercising an egregious and very worrying level of authoritarian action over protest, over anti-Israel criticism. Then I think it's also kind of shutting down the discussions around that issue, but also around other issues about what a future left can look like that is very different to their own government. It's really disappointing. It's also really scary. And I do think it's making me

check out further and further from their party. I just, there's nothing to do but look to the future in a different government. I just, I can't get on board with it anymore. I agree. I think, and you don't have to think anything of Hassan Paiqa and you can in fact disagree with everything comes out of his mouth. But I think it's the idea of the state having and also exercising the power to ban journalists, pundits, from entering the country without. a truly sound concern or reason, e.g. something a lot more than I do not like your message. I don't agree with your message. I find it loathsome. That's fucked. And I think it should be, in a functioning society, that should be a bipartisan belief. And it is one, I will say, I found hard to stomach in the

past. The three of us have had conversations offline about, you know, for example, the withdrawal of Ye's ETA to travel. It's really difficult for me not to say, do you know what? He said these foul anti-Semitic things. Thank fuck. He's not allowed here. You know, what a loathsome man, all of this. know it's more complex in his case because of the mental illness. But I think at a time when Jewish people in Britain are feeling alongside other groups, the rise of intolerance, the rise of authoritarianism and racism, communities are feeling it. It's really difficult for me not to be like, well, fuck that. But it is a reason for wireless not to platform him and a reason for people not to pay him. But actually, in a free liberal society, it is not the reason to withdraw entry. And

it is really complex. It's really difficult. I know Hassan superfan, but I do think you need to have ironclad reason. And in this case, I don't see it. I don't buy that it's not, it's dangerous or not conducive to the public good. I don't buy it of Chenk and I don't buy it of Hassan. It feels anti-free speech. And as Aaron Bustani tweeted, if Chank Yuga is banned from entering the UK, then what about Naomi Klein, Norman Finkelstein, Bernie Sanders, basically pointing out like, this is not a radical voice. It feels arbitrary. This is not someone that has peddled hate, which I do sort of maintain as maybe a justified reason because of the peddling of does incite violence. And I think that is a justification for not having somebody

enter the country and do it more. But I do think you have to draw the lines on but who actually is peddling hate. To me, it does just seem a completely blatant suppression. Agree. Another tweet from Lewis Goodall said, this is counterproductive, authoritarian and chilling. The British state should not be in the business of banning commentators and journalists from entering the country without compelling reason. Finding their views objectionable is nowhere near enough. And I think that's it really, regardless of where you sit, what you think about what he said, the action of banning him from the UK, I do think is deplorable. Yeah. And I was reading Jamima Steinfield, who's the chief executive of the index on censorship, had claimed that the

government had overseen, in this case, a worrying escalation. She also said she's not downplaying harmful effects of some of the people recently banned from entering the UK. And she does note that the Jewish community is feeling particularly besieged, but she's concerned that banning people who had been invited to speak makes access to the UK a taste test based on. on the current government's determination of what is in the public good. And she also said, it's paternalistic and assumes we are just passive consumers of views rather than people who can think, judge and challenge. It confers an underdog status to the people not allowed to enter.

It can embolden other countries to follow suit. And it feels fairly meaningless in the internet age where people can simply go online to hear what they have to say. Free speech is tested by hard cases. And in this instance, the UK is failing. And I think that is a very good point that they have absolutely. I mean, Hassan Piker was not some underground figure, but he is, absolutely spot it, him, his cause, made him look like a bit of a free speech, martyr. It's really short-sighted to do this. The potential reach now of his message will be

much larger than just if he'd come here and spoken to the good people at South by Southwest. And I do, I mean, I don't for a second think this is an easy conversation. And I do think all of us in being, you know, I will say I'm so pro-Palestinian, anti-genocide, anti-Zionist, but I'm pro-Jewish safety, dignity, freedom from harm. I'm anti-Semitism. And to quote, Cameron Jones, who is an organiser with Jewish Voice for Peace at Columbia University, it's important to recognise the difference between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. Anti-Zionism is a political ideology, while anti-Semitism is in regard to Judaism, which is a culture and religion. There is not a political ideology on the planet that any of us should feel that we cannot publicly criticise,

but we do, I guess, have to make sure that in the criticism of an ideology and the actions of people who are using that ideology to commit atrocities, that we're not adopting rhetoric that is hateful, antisemitic. I do invite people to check us and me, particularly on that. I don't want to ever equate the misdeeds of an occupying force with the global population who are not committing those trossies and in so many cases are so violently opposed to them. But what I'm finding difficult is, yeah, that shortcut of conflation that is used that puts Jewish people at risk, conflates the two and seeks to suppress any anti-Zioners. voice, that's where I stand and I know it's not at odds for my care of Jewish people and I know

that a strong coalition already exists between Jewish people and the pro-Palestinian global movement. I do think that checking in is important, but on that case, like I just cannot budge on that. I cannot accept that it would be my place not to say loudly at every opportunity I am anti-genocide. Israel is committing a genocide. Yeah. And everything you said is exactly where I stand as well. And I feel the same as well. If anyone has any points that they would like to raise with us and anything that I've said that has felt like it's landed on the wrong side, please, please, please, please message in. I want to get the line right. But at the same time, ultimately at my core, I want to protect every minority, every community's right to safety,

whilst also being staunchly, firmly anti-genocide. That is my stance. Just to end, just one final note for me a little refresher on Palestine action because I was reading about this before. So it's a UK-based pro-Palestinian direct action group that was last year, I'm sure we all know, prescribed as a terrorist organization. However, there was a high court ruling earlier this year that found the prescription of Palestine action was unlawful. However, the impact of the judgment won't actually take effect until the government's appeal has been considered, so that could be months and months away. So it is still a criminal offense to support Palestine action. And it remains a criminal defense under the Terrorism Act to be a member of the group, encourage support for it or express support or wear

or display an item that does so, which is why last year, we saw processes who rage in age from about 21 years old to 83 being arrested for simply carrying signs, which read, I oppose genocide, I support Palestine action. So yeah, I mean, no comment on that. Don't fancy going to jail just now, but I do think it's interesting and important to keep up with that news, because who knows what will change in the next few months. So, euphoria is over. And this time, according to its creator, Sam Levinson and HBO, it is over for good. So we'll warn you now. This is your spoiler warning. There will be lots of spoilers at this discussion. So if you're

saving the finale to watch later, or you think you still might want to watch Euphoria, we are giving you the chance to tap out now. Yeah, if all of our many comments on the show have not dissuade you from watching it, godspeed. So the final episode of Bufori at on Sunday, and here come the spoilers. Okay, so rude-eyed. Nate was killed by a snake in a coffin. Maddie's a pimp. I mean, lots of stuff happened. It was sort of like a spaghetti western. It was, well, what do you think it was? Thoughts, honest thoughts on the finale slash the whole series. Now it is done for good. So this is the thing that pisses me off about Sam Levinson. There are moments of this series and this finale even that are really enjoyable to watch and are really poignant. But it doesn't feel. it together. It's just like some brilliant dazzling jigsaw pieces with lots of filler jigsaw pieces and then just like some just like nonsense things which all together doesn't make a coherent

impactful story. But it's just frustrating because you feel the good of the good parts. And same with the finale. It just, it was so bleat. And I just feel like there wasn't a grand point from it all. I think he was trying to make a point. He said to Popcast, the New York Times, kind of like pop culture music podcast, that the death of Angus Cloud in between shooting season two and season three really weighed heavy on him. So he really wanted to kind of not shy away from the impacts of drugs, specifically fentanyl, which is a huge, a huge instigator of deaths in the US. But I felt like that was rushed right at the end. And I also feel like it wasn't done in a way that made it feel like it landed in any kind of genuine, moving, impactful way. It kind of felt like

that ending where Ali goes to this family that she met right at the beginning, this kind of Christian, very traditional family, I think in Texas. He goes back to them because Rue really found peace while she was staying with them in the first episode. And he imagines when doing a prayer with them that he sees Rue at the head of the table and she looks happy. And he tells the family Roo's in a better place. It kind of felt disingenuous after such a bleak, bleak, bleak, final episode that kind of positioned, there is no equality in this world. There is just bad people. people doing bad things and retribution is the only way to kind of square the odds. So then right at the end, kind of leaving it in a religious place felt really strange because if anything, Ali, the purest

character of them all, has learned that turning the other cheek, being a pure person does not work. You have to debase yourself and go to the lengths of these terrible people to feel at peace with yourself. And then at the end, it's like this happy moment because he feels at peace and it feels religious. I couldn't square it. I feel like the pieces didn't make sense. What did you think? My main thoughts was, oh, God, thank God that's over. I think that's such a good way. It is. There were so many elements that I thought, oh, okay. Like, I think it was in the final episode, it was really hard not to be moved by the kind of archival clip of Angus Cowd with Zendaya. Angus Cowd, who obviously did pass away. And I know that Sam Leibison has been himself in the

depths of addiction. So I think on, there's a lot of things I will criticize him for, include, you know, portrayal of women, the bleakness of it, the way that he does not seem to be able to imagine a life for a woman that isn't death or sex work. But I do think, I'm seeing people call that a bit gratuitous, rude, dying during a, you know, sober period in her life of an accidental fentanyl overdose. But actually, I do think there's some realism in that. And I read Sam Levinson, I can't remember where, it was an interview. I can't remember where it was far. I can find it, though. He said, of Angus Cloud, with addiction, you're supposed to be prepared for the loss of someone struggling. But his death stood an anger, not only for him, but for many young lives in

America, can't short be a fentanyl. This season became my way to honor Angus and all the kids who weren't offered a second chance. So I will skewer him for a lot, but I do think on that, difficult for me to do and I was moved. I found that quite sad. But then you zoom out and you go, so much of this was wasted time. I saw that lady's BBL a bunch of times. She was not a character I cared about. Nate criminally wasted to Jacob Laudy. I don't know if his contract was airtight. He just could not do anything more exciting than have his toes cut off. I do just think, oh, it's just a little bit of a flop. I'm so glad. I mean, I did see Pop Bay tweeted, HBA has confirmed that there'll be no more seasons of Euphoria,

officially ending the show with season three. And the official Ryanair Twitter account quote tweeted it saying, finally, which made me how? That's so much. I don't know why it made me laugh so much. I was just like, what are you doing here, Ariana? That is sort of how I feel, finally. I know.

And I think, in a way, it's good that we've been cut from this show because the series was just an exercise in, if you liked anything about those characters, there is a way for the creator of those characters to just ruin lots of them. And so in a way it's a good thing because I get way too attached to people, to shows, to things that do not matter in my life. This was a good lesson in. Things will not serve you back all the time.

You need to not get so attached, let things go, Ruggera. But also saying that, I will share some more disappointments. I'm sorry, I've just got to share my rage about this show. Jules. Jules were so useless in this series. They've completely ruined her character. She had nothing, nothing going on, absolutely nothing. Just at the end, she does this painting of Rue.

It's a sweet moment, but at the same time, I just feel like there was a real grief moment of her learning about the news that was missed. Hunter Schaefer's amazing acting skills, completely wasted. And I read something. I think it was maybe Vulture's review of the finale. And it's so true. When you watch series one of Euphoria,

it feels like a love story. It feels like the point of Euphoria Season 1 is Jules and Ruse gorgeous connection in the midst of her just being a raging drug addict and what that looks like and how difficult that must be and how scary and strange and just like bizarre it must be falling in love in those circumstances. It is very clear that Sam Levinson does not care about those two characters' love story or that wonderful connection between them both because it just made for very short scenes in this series and in the second series just was going to be. completely trashed. And I think it's such a shame because I found that the most beautiful element of this world, I guess. Oh, it was so completely wasted. It was this damp squib of an ending. And I think it's just him misunderstanding why people loved and watched the earlier shows and the emotional attachment to end it with a little fight and it didn't carry the weight that I think it should have done with both of their like kind of first loves, Ruthie is very young.

She's like 24 years old. That is like the greatest love of her life. And it doesn't really. get a proper closing. And I do think one of the most beautiful things is, you know, when she does come up for her during addiction, but also while she is in the depths of addiction, like the love is a very real thing. She's still able to access those feelings, but it's just more complicated. And I do just think the emotional weight of Rue's death really would have been punctuated so well and felt finished and complete and kind of really sadly final. Were he to close that loop? He does not close that loop. I saw some tweets from at Julian Miflacco. They killed Rue Lesbian Bennett, a day before pride, this is in fireworks, and Levinson will rot. So true. People are not happy. Oh, that's so true.

May he not rest until we are all satisfied or somebody does fan fiction about what actually happened. I will read that. I do really agree with you. You're so right. There was so much filler stuff. And I think that's the thing that kills me. There was a moment where Alamo Brown, incredible actor, incredible role, just like really kind of the starring person in the series. But they do a back story of him that takes about like 15 minutes in an episode. And you just think, okay, this is the final euphoria season. Why are we wasting fucking time doing background checks on a new character that you've introduced? Yeah, it's cool, but I just, I feel like he suffers this delusion that loads of filmmakers,

who are autos, have, which is like a three-hour film is better than a really well-rounded, one and a half-hour film. And it's just getting more bloated, bigger and bigger and bigger, with things that detract from a story and ultimately make it less poignant because you've just kind of stuffed it to the brim that it's like exploding with all of this content. None of the important moments land because it's just surrounded by styrofoam. Oh, this is the most seething, but also completely correct. You have to be a TV writer, Routher. You'd be incredible at that. I have nothing of substance to add apart from another tweet from at Upper Upland who said, Rudey in October 2024, so she didn't

get to see Wicked with like a reaction video of one of the dance moms crying and I was like that actually moved me that continued to move me it kind of got more of a reaction than the actual moment in the thing I went oh my gosh you never got defying gravity she never got to see holding space I didn't know they were doing that and that tells you something oh god the final thing I'll say is if you did enjoy the bits about young people desperate to kind of get a slice of celebrity in L.A. I think that is one of the best things about the season. That as a theme is so interesting. It's not in the same time period,

but I watched Maxine, which is Ty West's third film in the X trilogy starring Mia Goss. And it's the 80s in L.A. and she's just this, like, desperate actress who's like up for doing anything just to get her foot in the door. And I think that gives you the glamour, the slightly L.A. Gothic, cults, serial killers on the loose, just this fascinating time in LA history. I think if you're let down

by this, that kind of gives you a bit of that in a different time zone. And I do recommend it. Thank you so much for listening this week. Before we go, just checking that you've listened to our latest Everything in Conversation episode, where we talk to Maxine Heron, activist and communications officer for not a phase, who talked about the rising transphobia in the UK and how we can fight back. If you enjoy the pod, then please do leave us a rating and a review wherever you're listening to this now, it is one of the best and easiest ways to help give us a boost so we can keep making the show. You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at Everything is content for extra content and to take part in our Wednesday conversation episodes. See you next week.

Bye.