By Beatrice Fanucci
Copyright gcn
Irish author Sally Rooney was unable to travel to the UK to collect an award due to fears of arrest over her support for activist group Palestine Action. The group was banned by the UK government under the country’s terrorism legislation earlier in July.
Palestine Action is a British pro-Palestinian network founded in 2020 with the goal of ending Israeli apartheid. It has used protest, occupation of premises, destruction of property and vandalism in its campaigns, describing itself as “non-violent yet disruptive”.
Following a string of high-profile incidents targeting defence and aviation companies linked to Israel, the group was proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000 in July. Since then, over 1,600 people have been arrested for supporting Palestine Action.
Sally Rooney has pledged to support Palestine Action following the UK government’s decision, telling the Irish Times that if backing the group “makes me a ‘supporter of terror’ under UK law, so be it”. She stated that she intends to use royalties from her works, including from the BBC adaptations of Normal People and Conversations with Friends, to support Palestine Action.
Following her statements, lawyer and writer Sadakat Kadri told The Guardian that “receiving money with the intention of using it to support terrorism is an offence under section 15 of the 2000 act.” This means that Rooney could be “arrested without a warrant as a ‘terrorist’” and she could face prosecution if she were to express her views while on UK soil.
Rooney won a Sky Arts Award in the literature category for her fourth novel, Intermezzo. The author was set to attend the award ceremony on Tuesday, September 16, however, she was unable to travel to the UK due to fear of arrest.
Accepting the award in her stead was her editor, Faber publisher Alex Bowler, who read a statement by Rooney. “I’m so touched and grateful to receive this prize,” the statement read.
“I truly loved writing Intermezzo, and it means the world to me to think that it found some small place in the lives of its readers. Thank you.
“I wish that I could be with you this evening to accept the honour in person, but because of my support for non-violent anti-war protest, I’m advised that I can no longer safely enter the UK without potentially facing arrest.
“In that context, I want to thank you all the more warmly for honouring my work tonight and to reiterate my belief in the dignity and beauty of all human life and my solidarity with the people of Palestine.”
Over 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023, and a “worst-case scenario famine” has also been declared in Gaza due to an aid blockade imposed by Israel. An independent UN commission has recently concluded that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, as the nation has launched its ground invasion in Gaza City.
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