Sally Rooney’s stand on Palestine is brave and humane
The Normal People author’s determination to support Palestine Action, even if it means that her books are withdrawn from sale in the UK, makes a mockery of Britain’s terrorism laws It’s hard to think of a published author in living memory who risked arrest in the UK for their political beliefs, hard to think of one whose books could be published anywhere but here. Sally Rooney went into this debacle with her eyes…
Key points
- Sally Rooney pledged royalties from her books and BBC adaptations to support Palestine Action.
- Her books have been withdrawn from sale in the UK, and she is avoiding the country to evade arrest.
- The article says UK terrorism arrests rose from 250 in 2024 to nearly 3,000 in 2025.
Sally Rooney, author of Normal People, has risked arrest in the UK by pledging royalties from her books and their BBC adaptations to support Palestine Action. Her books have been withdrawn from sale in the UK, and she is avoiding the country to evade imprisonment.
The article calls her stand brave and humane, noting that she chose the thorniest path for the cause. It says her action makes a mockery of Britain's terrorism laws.
What Rooney did
Rooney said last July that royalties from her books and their BBC adaptations would go to Palestine Action. The article states that her books could be published anywhere but the UK, and that she is effectively barred from and banned in the country.
It says her financial hit from lost sales and opportunities is hard to count. The article describes her as an author whose work is intimate and domestic, and whose intervention is distinctive in its reach.
Nobody anywhere thinks Sally Rooney poses a danger to the British state, or any state
— Zoe Williams
Reaction and context
The article argues that nobody thinks Rooney poses a danger to the British state. It says Keir Starmer painted himself into an absurd corner, with terrorism arrests rising from 250 in 2024 to nearly 3,000 in 2025, and more arrests at demos of people over 80 than under 20.
It also cites Irish solidarity with Palestine, including the 1984 Dunnes Stores strike when 21-year-old Mary Manning refused to handle South African grapefruit. The article notes that Ireland banned South African goods in 1987, and that Desmond Tutu met Manning and other strikers in 1985.
