{"id":90155,"date":"2025-08-18T02:27:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T02:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=90155"},"modified":"2025-08-18T02:27:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T02:27:00","slug":"novelist-sally-rooney-says-she-will-support-palestine-action-despite-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=90155","title":{"rendered":"Novelist Sally Rooney says she will support Palestine Action despite ban"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Author Sally Rooney says she will continue to support Palestine Action, despite the group being proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK.<\/p>\n

The award-winning Irish novelist said she intends to use the earnings of her work and her public platform to \u201cgo on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide\u201d.<\/p>\n

Writing in the Irish Times, she said, \u201cIf this makes me a supporter of terror under UK law, so be it\u201d.<\/p>\n

Her remarks come as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper again defended the proscription of Palestine Action, saying it is more than \u201ca regular protest group known for occasional stunts\u201d.<\/p>\n

Palestine Action is a British pro-Palestinian direct action group that was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the government in July.<\/p>\n

Their activities have predominantly targeted arms companies since the start of the current war in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Rooney, who wrote bestsellers including Normal People and Intermezzo, has previously been a vocal backer of the protest group,\u00a0writing in the Guardian in June\u00a0that proscribing them would be an \u201calarming attack on free speech\u201d.<\/p>\n

She was speaking after some of its members broke into\u00a0RAF Brize Norton\u00a0and sprayed two planes with red paint, causing damages worth an estimated \u00a37m.<\/p>\n

Separately in 2021, she refused to allow Beautiful World, Where Are You to be translated into Hebrew by an Israeli publisher, which she said was in support of calls to boycott Israel over its policies towards Palestinians.<\/p>\n

At the time, she said it would \u201cbe an honour\u201d to have the book translated into Hebrew by a company which shared her political position.<\/p>\n

In her latest Irish Times opinion piece, she said she will continue to use the proceeds of her work \u2013 including residuals from a BBC co-production of Normal People and Conversations with Friends \u2013 to keep supporting the group.<\/p>\n

Rooney is not currently working with the BBC on any upcoming projects and has never been a member of staff.<\/p>\n

Supporters of Palestine Action have remained vocal despite the groups recent proscription<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More than 700 people have been arrested since the group was banned by the government on 5 July \u2013\u00a0including more than 500 at a demonstration in central London last week.<\/p>\n

Writing in the Observer on Sunday, Home Secretary Cooper said while many were aware of the Brize Norton incident, fewer would be aware of other incidents for which the group had claimed responsibility.<\/p>\n

For example, in August 2024 alleged Palestine Action supporters broke into Elbit Systems UK in Bristol, an Israeli defence firm that has long been a key target.<\/p>\n

Those allegations are due to come to trial in November. Eighteen people deny charges including criminal damage, assault causing actual bodily harm, violent disorder and aggravated burglary.<\/p>\n

Cooper has also referenced a so-called \u201cUnderground Manual\u201d from the group, which she said \u201cprovides practical guidance on how to identify targets to attack and how to evade law enforcement\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are not the actions of a legitimate protest group,\u201d Cooper said.<\/p>\n

She also said she had received \u201cdisturbing information\u201d which \u201ccovered ideas and planning for future attacks\u201d.<\/p>\n

Rooney \u2013 who lives in the west of Ireland \u2013 wrote: \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said \u201cthe ramifications for cultural and intellectual life in the UK\u2026 are and will be profound\u201d.<\/p>\n

Rooney\u2019s management have been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n

A BBC spokesperson said: \u201cMatters relating to proscribed organisations are for the relevant authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel has long rejected accusations of genocide, but leading Israeli and global human rights organisations have argued that the country\u2019s conduct in the war in Gaza\u00a0constitutes genocide against the Palestinian population.<\/p>\n

The war was triggered by Hamas\u2019s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s offensive has since killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to figures from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which the UN considers reliable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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