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Sally Rooney Pledges Continued Support for Proscribed Palestine Action

Admin August 18, 2025 0
Novelist Sally Rooney says she will support Palestine Action despite ban
Novelist Sally Rooney says she will support Palestine Action despite ban

Irish author Sally Rooney says she will keep backing Palestine Action, even after the UK labelled the protest group a terrorist organisation.

Sally Rooney, celebrated for novels like Normal People and Conversations with Friends, has openly vowed in the Irish Times to continue supporting Palestine Action. The British pro-Palestinian direct action group was officially classified as a terrorist organisation by the UK government in July, following several high-profile protests mostly aimed at arms companies since the onset of the Gaza war. The declaration was reinforced by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who insisted 'these are not the actions of a legitimate protest group.'

Rooney detailed her intention to channel the proceeds of her books and television adaptations towards 'direct action against genocide,' remarking defiantly, 'if this makes me a supporter of terror under UK law, so be it.' She accused the current UK administration of curtailing fundamental rights in order to maintain ties with Israel, stating that 'the ramifications for cultural and intellectual life in the UK... are and will be profound.'

In 2021, Rooney refused to allow an Israeli publisher to translate her novel Beautiful World, Where Are You into Hebrew, citing her stance on authorial solidarity with calls to boycott Israel. The most recent crackdown has resulted in over 700 arrests since the ban began on July 5, including more than 500 during a single protest in central London last week. Cooper has pointed to what she describes as evidence of operational planning and intent to evade authorities, highlighting a so-called "Underground Manual" associated with the group.

'Proscribing Palestine Action is an alarming attack on free speech,' Rooney previously wrote, maintaining her support despite legal risks. According to IranumNews correspondents, trials relating to alleged actions by Palestine Action affiliates—including a high-profile break-in at an Israeli defence contractor in Bristol—are expected later this year as the UK’s legal and cultural debates intensify over the war in Gaza and the right to protest. The IranumNews newsroom reports that regional and global implications continue to unfold in response to these changes.

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Sally Rooney Palestine Action terrorism law UK politics protest groups Gaza conflict literature free speech human rights cultural boycott Yvette Cooper
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More than 200 missing in flood-hit district in Pakistan, official says
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Admin August 18, 2025 0
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Admin August 18, 2025 0
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