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Author Sally Rooney has affirmed her continued support for Palestine Action, despite the group’s proscription as a terrorist organization in the UK.
The award-winning Irish novelist stated her intention to utilize earnings from her work and her public platform to “go on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide.”
Writing in the Irish Times, she asserted, “if this makes me a supporter of terror under UK law, so be it.”
Her remarks follow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s renewed defense of the proscription of Palestine Action, characterizing it as more than “a regular protest group known for occasional stunts.”
Palestine Action, a British pro-Palestinian direct action group, was officially proscribed as a terrorist organization by the UK government in July.
The group’s activities have primarily targeted arms companies since the commencement of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Rooney, the author of bestselling novels including “Normal People” and “Intermezzo,” has been a vocal advocate for the protest group, penning an op-ed in the Guardian in June denouncing the proscription as an “alarming attack on free speech.”
Her comments were made after several members of the group breached security at RAF Brize Norton, vandalizing two aircraft with red paint, resulting in damages estimated at £7 million.
In a separate incident in 2021, Rooney declined to authorize the translation of “Beautiful World, Where Are You” into Hebrew by an Israeli publisher, citing her support for calls to boycott Israel over its policies concerning Palestinians.
At the time, she stated that she would consider it “an honour” to have her book translated into Hebrew by a company that shared her political views.
In her recent Irish Times piece, Rooney reiterated her commitment to utilizing proceeds from her work, including residuals from the BBC co-production of “Normal People” and “Conversations with Friends,” to continue supporting Palestine Action.
Since the government’s ban on July 5, over 700 individuals have been arrested in connection with the group, including more than 500 at a demonstration in central London last week.
Writing in the Observer on Sunday, Home Secretary Cooper noted that while the Brize Norton incident was widely known, fewer were aware of other incidents for which the group had claimed responsibility.
For instance, in August 2024, alleged Palestine Action supporters reportedly broke into Elbit Systems UK in Bristol, an Israeli defense firm and a long-standing target of the group.
These allegations are scheduled to be addressed in court in November. Eighteen individuals are contesting charges including criminal damage, assault causing actual bodily harm, violent disorder, and aggravated burglary.
Cooper also referenced a purported “Underground Manual” associated with the group, which she asserted “provides practical guidance on how to identify targets to attack and how to evade law enforcement.”
“These are not the actions of a legitimate protest group,” Cooper stated.
She added that she had received “disturbing information” that “covered ideas and planning for future attacks.”
Rooney, who resides in the west of Ireland, wrote: “The present UK government has willingly stripped its own citizens of basic rights and freedoms, including the right to express and read dissenting opinions, in order to protect its relationship with Israel.”
She cautioned that “the ramifications for cultural and intellectual life in the UK… are and will be profound.”
The BBC and Rooney’s management have been contacted for comment.
Israel has consistently refuted accusations of genocide; however, prominent Israeli and international human rights organizations have argued that the country’s conduct in the war in Gaza constitutes genocide against the Palestinian population.
The conflict was initiated by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals and the abduction of 251 others.
Israel’s offensive has reportedly led to the deaths of over 61,000 Palestinians, according to figures released by the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which the UN considers reliable.
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