Authors urge UK to halt ‘draconian’ Palestine Action ban as Rooney sales end

LONDON, United Kingdom — More than 150 writers and public figures signed an open letter Wednesday urging the UK government to amend its “draconian” ban on Palestine Action after Irish author Sally Rooney said she was halting book sales in Britain as a result. The Labour government has been heavily criticized by some for proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist group in July 2025, with thousands of people arrested since for protesting against the move.

The government took the move after a series of violent actions by the group that caused millions pounds of damage and, in one case, seriously injured a police officer. “Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist. Her books must be available to the public,” said the letter signed by such notable figures as Nobel laureates Annie Ernaux and Anne Carson. Rooney and her publisher Faber last week announced they had to end the sale of her books in the UK because of her support for the pro-Palestinian group.

The proscription, which the organization is appealing, puts Palestine Action on the same blacklist as terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah, making it illegal in the UK to be part of, support or finance it. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms Rooney has repeatedly expressed her support for Palestine Action and said she intends to fund the group, which is not proscribed by Ireland, where the author lives and works.

A policeman (L) speaks to a supporter (C) of the proscribed group Palestine Action as they gather to protest outside the conference venue on the first day of the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool, north-west England on September 27, 2026. (Oli Scarff/AFP) Faber said the ban meant it could not legally pass on royalties earned in the UK to Rooney, whose best-sellers, including “Normal People” and “Intermezzo,” have earned her praise as the “voice of a generation.”

“Their withdrawal from sale, on the basis of ill-conceived and draconian anti-terror legislation, is an affront to basic principles of free speech and expression so long taken for granted in this country,” the open letter, also signed by actors Paul Mescal and Tilda Swinton, adds. Advertisement “We categorically reject censorship — whether direct or indirect — and urge the government to change course, amending the legislation which has led us to this point of repressive absurdity.”

Other signatories include authors Colm Toibin, Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri, Zadie Smith and Julian Barnes. Last week, police said they were looking into a social media post by Sarah Helm, the wife of the UK’s national security advisor, for supporting the group — although they later said it did not merit a criminal investigation. Palestine Action’s stated goal on its website is to end “global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime.”

Israel strongly denies accusations of committing genocide as well as claims of apartheid. Palestine Action’s proscription came after a series of high-profile stunts protesting the war in Gaza, including targeting weapons factories, particularly those belonging to Israeli arms group Elbit. Activists committed acts of violence and vandalism during raids on multiple facilities. In June, a judge jailed four activists for raiding an Elbit site near Bristol, in western England, in 2024 and causing over a million pounds in damage.

One of them hit a police officer twice on the back with a sledgehammer, leaving her with a fractured spine . Advertisement Britain’s Supreme Court is set to hear an appeal against the ban from the group’s cofounder Huda Ammori next month. Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.

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