Sally Rooney says Palestine Action ban may block UK publication

Irish novelist Sally Rooney has told the High Court that she is unlikely to publish new work in the UK for as long as the government’s ban on Palestine Action remains in place.

She cited concerns that her public support for the group could make it legally impossible for publishers to work with her.

On the second day of a juridical review of the UK government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action, Rooney expressed her support for the group. Around 200 people protested peacefully outside, holding up signs saying "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action." The Metropolitan Police later said 143 had been arrested for expressing support for a proscribed organisation.

Rooney, whose books Normal People, Conversations with Friends, and most recently Intermezzo, have been major commercial and critical successes, submitted a witness statement on the second day of the legal challenge against the proscription.

She warned that the ban could lead to her future books being unavailable in the UK altogether, despite being released internationally.

The author said the designation means she may be barred from publishing, producing, or receiving royalties in Britain. She noted that if her publisher, Faber & Faber, were prevented from paying her, her existing titles might have to be pulled from UK sale.

Rooney described the potential disappearance of her novels from British bookshops as an “extreme incursion” into artistic freedom.

She has previously stated that she intends to donate proceeds from her work to Palestine Action, and earlier this year cancelled a trip to the UK to receive an award due to fears of arrest under the proscription.

She reiterated her support for the group in her statement, calling its activities “courageous and admirable”.