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Sally Rooney, the celebrated Irish author, is back in the news – this time for telling the UK High Court that she is “almost certain” that she would not be able to publish any new books in the UK as long as Palestine Action was banned under current terrorism laws.
The author, who has supported Palestine Action and other similar protest groups for the last few years also said that she may have to remove her current books from the UK due to the ban.
Back in July, Palestine Action was banned, following the group taking responsibility for breaking into RAF Brize Norton and spraying red paint over two military transport jets- which caused damage reportedly worth about £7 million (approx. €8 million).
This decision is currently being challenged by Palestine Action’s co-founder Huda Ammori, who claims that it hinders the right to protest. Rooney has also voiced support for the reversal of the ban.
In August, Rooney said that she would continue using her public platform and royalties, including those gained from the BBC adaptations of “Normal People” and “Conversations With Friends”, to support Palestine Action, highlighting: “If this makes me a supporter of terror under UK law, so be it.”
However, this could also mean that her British publisher Faber & Faber Limited and the BBC may not be able to pay her royalties anymore, under UK terrorism laws, as they could be accused of funding terrorism.
Rooney has recently cancelled a trip to the UK as well, due to fear of arrest because of her political beliefs. She also highlighted that the ban threatened both her publisher’s and her rights as an author, since if royalties cannot be paid, she would be forced to take her books off UK shelves, or voluntarily donate them.
As one of the most influential and best-selling authors in the UK in recent years, this could be a huge blow for the entire sector, especially as Rooney may also not be able to speak or participate in any UK events as long as the ban is in action.
In witness statements to the High Court, reported by the BBC, Rooney maintains that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and that Palestine Action’s UK protests stem from a “long and proud tradition of civil disobedience”.
“I myself have publicly advocated the use of direct action, including property sabotage, in the cause of climate justice,” she said. “It stands to reason that I should support the same range of tactics in the effort to prevent genocide.”
Speaking on behalf of the home secretary, as reported by The Guardian, Sir James Eadie KC noted that the UK parliament could choose how to define terrorism.
“Parliament has decided what terrorism is, which includes serious damage to property, whether or not alongside it there is violence against people,” he said.
Hundreds of people have already been arrested in the UK since the ban, including poets like Alice Oswald, 58, who is also a former Oxford professor of poetry and taught online classes to young people in Gaza.