UK Warns Irish Author Sally Rooney Over Support for Banned Palestinian Group
Castlebar: The UK government has warned acclaimed Irish author Sally Rooney against providing financial support to Palestine Action, a group recently banned under British counterterrorism laws. Officials stated that any such support would be considered a criminal offence.
Rooney, a native of Mayo and author of the award-winning novels Normal People and Conversations with Friends, recently wrote in a newspaper article that she intended to donate her earnings to support Palestinian action and assist in efforts to end what she described as genocide. She confirmed that proceeds from her novels and their BBC screen adaptations would be directed towards Palestine Action.
While the group is prohibited in the UK following a security assessment by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, the ban does not extend to Ireland, where Rooney resides. Responding to the warning, she remarked that “if UK law makes me a terrorist by supporting Palestinian action, then so be it.”
A spokesperson for Downing Street reiterated that supporting Palestine Action constitutes an offence under terrorism legislation and stressed that no one should assist the group. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office declined to comment specifically on Rooney’s remarks.
The BBC, which adapted Rooney’s novels for television, clarified that she is not currently involved in any future projects with the broadcaster. A spokesperson added that Rooney was never a staff member and that how authors use their royalties is their own decision.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, the Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland, praised Rooney’s stance, saying she is “calling out violations of international law and human rights in Palestine.” She argued that such solidarity could help to expose and challenge what she described as Israel’s acts of terrorism in the region.
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