Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Ben Quinn Political correspondent

Dutch far-right activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek appears to lose right to UK visa-free travel

Vlaardingerbroek speaking at a lectern on which a label says '2024 CPAC Hungary'
Eva Vlaardingerbroek recently described Keir Starmer as an ‘evil, despicable man’. Photograph: Szilárd Koszticsák/EPA

A Dutch anti-immigration influencer who has promoted conspiracy theories such as the “great replacement” appears to have had her authorisation for visa-free travel to the UK revoked.

Eva Vlaardingerbroek posted an image online of what appeared to be a notification from the British government that her UK electronic travel authorisation (ETA) had been cancelled on Tuesday.

“Your presence in the UK is not considered to be conducive to the public good,” it stated.

Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister, reposted Vlaardingerbroek’s tweet to his X account. The post linked to her previous comments about Keir Starmer, whom she described as an “evil, despicable man”.

“You’re always welcome in Hungary!” said Orban, whose country hosted her and others from the far right and hardline conservative parties in 2024 when she addressed the Conservative Political Action conference (CPAC).

Vlaardingerbroek spoke last year in London at Britain’s largest ever far-right protest, organised by the activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

Appearing in a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Generation Remigration” – a reference to a far-right buzzword regarded as a euphemism for forced mass deportations – she said: “They are demanding the sacrifice of our children on the altar of mass migration. Let’s not beat about the bush – this is the rape, replacement and murder of our people … Remigration is possible, and it’s up to us to make it happen.”

According to immigration experts, the cancellation of an ETA means an individual is ineligible for visa-free travel to the UK. They may be denied entry and must apply for and obtain a UK visa before making any further attempt to travel.

The Home Office has been approached for comment.

The apparent move by the Home Office could result in a backlash from Vlaardingerbroek’s allies in the US, where figures in the Trump administration have accused Britain of clamping down on free speech.

Liz Truss, who served as prime minister for 49 days in 2022 and who has become a vocal proponent of increasingly rightwing views since leaving office, criticised the move.

“People who tell the truth about what’s happening in Britain banned from the country,” Truss wrote on X.

Rupert Lowe, the anti-immigration MP who was previously part of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, said he would be questioning why the Dutch activist had been prevented from entering the UK and calling for any such decision to be reversed.

It is not the first time that figures deemed as extremists have been banned from entering the UK. Earlier this month, an Islamist preacher was banned from the UK after he defended the terrorist group Hamas after the 7 October terror attack on Israel. And Martin Sellner, a prominent anti-Islamic extremist whose organisation was investigated in Austria over links to the Christchurch shooting suspect, was permanently barred from entering the UK in 2019.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.