Sally Rooney, the acclaimed author behind bestsellers like Normal People and Intermezzo, has stepped into the center of a heated political storm in the United Kingdom after announcing her intention to donate proceeds from her literary works—including royalties from BBC adaptations—to Palestine Action, a group recently proscribed as a terrorist organization by the UK government. In a candid opinion piece published in The Irish Times on August 17, 2025, Rooney declared, "I want to be clear that I intend to use these proceeds of my work, as well as my public platform generally, to go on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide in whatever way I can."
This bold move comes in the wake of the UK Home Office’s decision in July 2025 to designate Palestine Action as a terrorist organization under the Terrorism Act, putting it on the same legal footing as groups such as ISIS and al-Qaeda. The implications are stark: showing public support for Palestine Action can now carry a sentence of up to 14 years in prison. According to The Independent, more than 700 people have been arrested since the ban was implemented, with over 500 detained at a demonstration in London’s Parliament Square just last week for holding placards that read "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action." Among those arrested were prominent figures like poet Alice Oswald and former government adviser Sir Jonathon Porritt, who described his arrest as a "privilege."
Rooney’s stance is not new. She has long been a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights and direct action groups. In June, she wrote in The Guardian that proscribing Palestine Action would be an "alarming attack on free speech." Her activism goes back further still: in 2021, Rooney refused to allow her novel Beautiful World, Where Are You to be translated into Hebrew by an Israeli publisher, explaining that her decision was in support of calls to boycott Israel over its policies toward Palestinians. "It would be an honour to have the book translated into Hebrew by a company which shared my political position," she said at the time, as reported by BBC News.
Palestine Action, established in 2020, is a British direct action network that has primarily targeted arms companies supplying Israel, particularly since the escalation of the war in Gaza. Their methods have included pouring red paint on factories, occupying buildings, and vandalizing equipment. In one high-profile incident at RAF Brize Norton, members sprayed two planes with red paint, causing an estimated £7 million in damages. The group’s supporters argue that their actions are non-violent and aimed at disrupting the supply chain of weapons used against Palestinian civilians. Rooney emphasized in her article that "Palestine Action, proscribed under the same law, is responsible for zero deaths and has never advocated the use of violence against any human being. Why then are its supporters arrested for wearing T-shirts, while murals celebrating loyalist death squads are left untouched?"
The UK government, however, has defended its decision vigorously. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, writing in The Observer, argued that Palestine Action is "more than a regular protest group known for occasional stunts." She cited counterterrorism intelligence and a so-called "Underground Manual" produced by the group, which she claims provides practical guidance on how to identify targets and evade law enforcement. Cooper stated, "Protecting public safety and national security are at the very heart of the job I do. Were there to be further serious attacks or injuries, the government would rightly be condemned for not acting sooner to keep people safe." She also pointed to "disturbing information" about planning for future attacks as justification for the ban.
Rooney, who resides in the west of Ireland, did not shy away from criticizing both the UK and Irish governments in her piece. She accused the British government of "stripping its citizens of basic rights and freedoms in order to protect its relationship with Israel," warning that "the ramifications for cultural and intellectual life in the UK—where the eminent poet Alice Oswald has already been arrested, and an increasing number of artists and writers can no longer safely travel to Britain to speak in public—are and will be profound." Rooney also called on Dublin to take a firmer stance, lamenting what she perceives as a lack of action from Irish leaders regarding the UK’s support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
The backdrop to this controversy is the ongoing war in Gaza, which began after Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in about 1,200 Israeli deaths and 251 hostages, according to BBC News. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed more than 61,800 Palestinians and wounded over 100,000 others, according to figures from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which the UN considers reliable. Human rights organizations and UN experts have labeled the situation as genocide, with over 200 people reportedly dying from starvation due to severe restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Palestine Action’s founder, Huda Ammori, is preparing a legal challenge to the ban at the High Court in November 2025. Protesters have vowed to continue defying the proscription, with the next mass demonstration scheduled for September 6 in London. Organizers expect turnout to be twice the size of the previous protest. Defend our Juries, another activist group, aims to sign up 1,000 people for the event in the hopes of pressuring the government to lift the ban. A spokesperson for the group told The Irish Times, "With all the real challenges facing the country, it’s crazy that the Labour government has generated a political crisis over people quietly holding cardboard signs against genocide in Parliament Square. This won’t be forgotten."
Rooney’s outspoken support has not been without its critics. Some argue that her actions risk glamorizing or legitimizing a group now deemed illegal under UK law, while others see her as a principled dissenter standing up for free speech and human rights. The BBC, whose adaptations of Rooney’s novels have brought her significant public attention and financial reward, declined to comment directly on her statements, saying only, "Matters relating to proscribed organisations are for the relevant authorities." Rooney herself noted, perhaps with a hint of irony, that she would "happily publish this statement in a UK newspaper—but that would now be illegal." She went so far as to suggest that police should investigate retailers stocking her books if supporting Palestine Action is considered terrorism.
The situation is rapidly evolving, with legal, political, and cultural ramifications that extend far beyond the literary world. As the debate intensifies over the boundaries of protest, the definition of terrorism, and the responsibilities of public figures, Sally Rooney’s stance has ignited a broader conversation about dissent, solidarity, and the costs of speaking out in an increasingly polarized climate.
For now, Rooney’s commitment to using her platform and resources to support Palestine Action—despite legal risks and mounting controversy—underscores the complex intersection of literature, activism, and state power in today’s Britain.
