Irish Author Sally Rooney Pledges BBC Book Fees to Banned Group Palestine Action

London: Irish author Sally Rooney has announced she will donate earnings from two BBC adaptations of her novels to Palestine Action, a group recently banned as a terrorist organization in the UK.

Rooney, whose 2018 novel Normal People and its 2020 BBC television adaptation earned her international acclaim, revealed her plans in an interview with the Irish Times. She deliberately chose an Irish publication, saying reporting in the UK “would now be illegal” following the government ban on the group in early July.

“The UK’s state broadcaster… regularly pays me residual fees. 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,” Rooney wrote.

Since the group was proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000, more than 700 individuals have been arrested, primarily during protests. Rooney emphasized her solidarity:

“I feel obliged to state once more that like the hundreds of protesters arrested last weekend, I too support Palestine Action. If this makes me a ‘supporter of terror’ under UK law, so be it.”

The UK government’s ban came into effect on July 5, shortly after the group claimed responsibility for a break-in at a southern England air force base, which caused an estimated £7 million ($9.3 million) in damage to two aircraft. Palestine Action stated the raid was in protest against Britain’s indirect military support for Israel during the ongoing Gaza conflict.

Rooney’s pledge is likely to spark significant controversy in the UK, raising questions about the intersection of artistic freedom, political activism, and national security laws.