Scholar Malm says he was barred from entering Britain — Jerusalem Post

Swedish scholar Andreas Malm of Lund University said that the United Kingdom had barred him from entering the country. He was due to speak at an event next Wednesday alongside Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori, the Jerusalem Post reports.

Message from the UK Home Office

According to Malm, the UK Home Office informed him that his presence in the country was “not conducive to the public good.” He received no further explanation. The department did not comment on individual cases.

Malm suggested that the ban could be connected to his participation in an event organized by a socialist magazine. At the event, the scholar had planned to speak about the war in Iran. He said that he had not publicly supported, promoted, or funded Palestine Action.

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Previous statements and the Palestine Action case

Asked by the BBC whether the decision could be related to his previous remarks in which he described Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel as an act of liberation, Malm replied that this was possible.

Malm is known for the book “How to Blow Up a Pipeline,” in which he argues for the need for radical action to stop fossil fuel extraction. He also said that he had traveled to the United Kingdom for years for academic work, archival research, and participation in conferences, and that the current trip had the same purpose.

Palestine Action is banned in the United Kingdom as a terrorist organization. Next week, the country’s High Court is due to hear an appeal against this decision; supporting the group is a criminal offense.