UK blocks US influencer Valentina Gomez from entering country for rally

Britain has barred US influencer Valentina Gomez from entering the country for a rally in London, drawing a sharp line between free expression and what officials view as imported extremism. Gomez had been due to speak at the Unite the Kingdom rally on 16 May 2026, but the Home Office later withdrew permission on the ground that her presence would not be conducive to the public good.

That phrase is the legal hinge of the case. UK government guidance says a person can be refused entry, or have permission cancelled, if their character, conduct or associations make their presence undesirable to the public good, and the test can cover conduct in the UK and overseas. An electronic travel authorisation, or ETA, does not guarantee entry. Since 25 February 2026, non-visa nationals have needed an ETA before travelling to the UK, and the Home Office says visitors without one cannot board their transport unless exempt.

Gomez had publicly said on X that her ETA had been approved, but officials later moved to exclude her after backlash from MPs and campaigners. The planned rally is organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. Gomez has posted videos of herself burning a Koran with a flamethrower and has previously shared anti-Islam views online, giving ministers a basis to argue that her presence risked inflaming tensions rather than contributing to lawful debate.

The decision also fits a pattern of state intervention at moments when public order concerns and political spectacle overlap. Gomez had already addressed a previous Unite the Kingdom rally in September 2025, where Sky News reported between 110,000 and 150,000 people turned up. At that event, she told the crowd: “If these rapist Muslims take over they will not only rape your women, they will behead your sons.” Police later said at least 25 people were arrested and 26 officers were injured, including four seriously hurt.

The Home Office move came only weeks after a similar decision to block Kanye West, who also goes by Ye, from entering the UK to headline the Wireless festival on public-good grounds. Together, the two exclusions suggest ministers are leaning on a standard immigration power that has long existed in UK law, but applying it with unusual force to figures whose presence carries an immediate political and public-order charge.