Swedish academic denied UK entry over ‘public good’ concerns

A Swedish academic has been denied entry to the UK ahead of a series of speaking engagements in London, including an event where he was due to appear alongside the co-founder of the banned group Palestine Action.

Andreas Malm, a climate change activist and associate professor of human geography at Lund University, was informed by the UK Home Office that his Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) had been cancelled because his “presence in the UK is not considered to be conducive to the public good”, according to event organiser Tribune magazine.

A 4 November event organised by Tribune, titled “Washington’s global reign of terror and Britain’s role in reinforcing it”, was set to feature Malm and the co-founder of Palestine Action Huda Ammori as speakers ahead of a supreme court challenge to the ban to be heard next week.

Palestine Action was proscribed as a "terrorist" organisation by the UK government in July 2025. 

Malm, who describes himself as a Marxist, has authored several books including How to Blow Up a Pipeline. He was also due to attend an academic conference and appear on the BBC, according to the Tribune. 

“I am deeply dismayed at this sudden ban on travelling to the UK”, Malm said. “I have been going to the UK for decades – this is where I did my archival research for my PhD dissertation and lectured at dozens of universities and participated in even more conferences.”

Malm’s publisher Verso Books said in a statement that it was “shocked and disturbed” by the government’s decision to ban him from entering the country. 

“Never in over 55 years of publishing has a British government revoked the right of one of our authors to enter the country,” it said, adding that no reason was given for the ban.

“We urge the government to restore Andreas Malm’s electronic travel authorisation immediately and allow him entry into the country.”

Times Higher Education has contacted the Home Office for comment.

seher.asaf@timeshighereducation.com