The UK government has warned that acclaimed Irish author Sally Rooney could be committing a terrorist offence if she follows through on her pledge to fund Palestine Action, a group recently designated as a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK.
Rooney, best known for her novels Normal People and Conversations With Friends, said she intends to donate her book royalties and earnings from BBC adaptations to support the group, which campaigns against what it calls “complicity in Israeli war crimes.”
A Downing Street spokesperson stressed that “support for a proscribed organisation is an offence under the Terrorism Act” and said no one should be funding the group.
Rooney, who lives in Co Mayo, responded defiantly, writing in The Irish Times:
“If backing Palestine Action makes me a ‘supporter of terror’ under UK law, so be it.” She vowed to continue her activism, pledging both financial and public support for “direct action against genocide in whatever way I can.”
Palestine Action’s Status
The UK government proscribed Palestine Action under terrorism legislation earlier this year, citing security advice and “serious attacks” carried out by the group. The ban does not extend to Ireland, where the group remains legal.
- BBC Response: The broadcaster clarified that Rooney has never been a staff member, stating, “Matters relating to proscribed organisations are for the relevant authorities.” It added that it is not currently working with Rooney on any future projects.
- Palestinian Support: Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, Palestine’s ambassador to Ireland, praised Rooney for “using her voice to call out international law and human rights violations”. She urged such calls to lead to “practical actions to stop genocide and forced displacement.”
- UK Government Position: Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson declined to comment directly on Rooney’s case but reiterated that backing proscribed groups is illegal. “There is a difference between legitimate protest and support for a terrorist organisation,” the spokesperson said.
Background
Rooney rose to international fame with her 2017 debut Conversations With Friends and the Booker-nominated Normal People (2018), both of which were adapted for television by the BBC.
Her political stance has previously sparked controversy: in 2021, she declined to allow an Israeli publisher to translate her work, citing solidarity with the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
