London (AFP) – More than 150 writers and personalities signed an open letter Wednesday urging the UK government to amend its “draconian” ban on Palestine Action after Irish author Sally Rooney said she was halting book sales in Britain as a result. The Labour government has been heavily criticised by some for proscribing Palestine Action as a “terrorist” group in July 2025, with thousands of people arrested since for protesting against the move.
“Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist. Her books must be available to the public,” said the letter signed by such notable figures as Nobel laureates Annie Ernaux and Anne Carson. Rooney and her publisher Faber last week announced they had to end the sale of her books in the UK because of her support for the pro-Palestinian group. The proscription, which the organisation is appealing, puts Palestine Action on the same blacklist as militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, making it illegal in the UK to be part of, support or finance it.
Rooney has repeatedly expressed her support for Palestine Action and said she intends to fund the group, which is not proscribed by Ireland, where the author lives and works. Faber said the ban meant it could not legally pass on royalties earned in the UK to Rooney, whose best-sellers including “Normal People” and “Intermezzo” have earned her praise as the “voice of a generation.”
“Their withdrawal from sale, on the basis of ill-conceived and draconian anti-terror legislation, is an affront to basic principles of free speech and expression so long taken for granted in this country,” the open letter, also signed by actors Paul Mescal and Tilda Swinton, adds. “We categorically reject censorship – whether direct or indirect – and urge the government to change course, amending the legislation which has led us to this point of repressive absurdity.”
Other signatories include authors Colm Toibin, Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri, Zadie Smith, and Julian Barnes. Last week, police said they were looking into a social media post by Sarah Helm, the wife of the UK’s national security advisor, for supporting the group — although they later said it did not merit a criminal investigation.
Palestine Action’s stated goal on its website is to end “global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime.” Its proscription came after a series of high-profile stunts protesting the war in Gaza, including targeting weapons factories, especially those belonging to Israeli arms group Elbit. Britain’s Supreme Court is set to hear an appeal against the ban from the group’s cofounder Huda Ammori next month.
© 2024 AFP
